Antonio and the Chamber of Secrets
by Nikitesa32
Summary: Antonio meets Harry in the summer, he doesn't know Harry very well but he wants to see him again. He goes to Hogwarts and some surprising things occur... will Antonio be able to keep the secret of being a nation, with so many surprise visits and accidental comments?
1. We're going to Spain!

Third person POV

The Dursleys were a big family, not because there were many, but because Vernon Dursley and Dudley Dursley were the biggest persons you could think of, especially around the middle. Harry Potter had been living with this family since his parents died. The Dursleys disliked Harry as much as Harry disliked them.

Right now, it was the summer holidays and the Dursleys wanted to go to Spain. They only allowed Harry to come with them so that Harry "didn't burn down the house". Harry was quite happy to finally leave that house, especially his old "room" (the cupboard under the stairs).

"Come on boy, we are in a tight schedule" barked Vernon Dursley towards Harry.

"Going, going" muttered Harry as he pulled the last, heavy suitcase in the back of the car.

What Harry didn't know was that his uncle and aunt had planned on leaving him at Spain to get rid of him.

TIME SKIP TO THE AIRPORT

Vernon pulled Harry away from the line to get into the plane and threatened "If you embarrass me or anyone at all while we are in the plane or anywhere, then you won't have dinner until the end of the summer holidays"

Harry nodded dumbly and walked back to the line

TIME SKIP, AIRPORT IN SPAIN

"Hello there, do you know the number to call a taxi?" Vernon Dursley had asked a person pasing by.

The Spaniard just looked at him and said "¿Puedes repetir eso? (*Can you repeat that?)"

Vernon looked shocked and slowly turned away to his family.

"Well, what did he say?" asked Petunia Dursley (which wasn't big, like her husband and son, which were).

"Just a ton of gibberish" replied Vernon.

Vernon tried asking different people for the phone number of a taxi, but not one single person understood English!

Right when he was about to give up, a handsome brown haired and green eyed young man walked up to him and said "¡Hola! Are you the person which is asking in English, for the phone number of a taxi?" he asked in a strong Spanish accent.

"Yes! Yes, I am" Vernon answered.

"Just so you know for the next time, most people here don't know English, and the ones who do… don't talk fluent English, or simply it's really bad" the Spanish young man said "Oh! By the way, I'm Antonio Fernández Carriedo" He said extending a hand.

Vernon shook Antonio's hand reluctantly and said, "I'm Vernon Dursley"

"Nice to meet you Vernon, know, this is the taxi phone number" he said showing Vernon his phone. When Vernon had finished, he muttered a barely audible "thank you" and walked away.

Harry wondered if he would see Antonio ever again.


	2. We'll see each other again

Third person POV:

Aunt Petunia and uncle Vernon had gone into a sweetshop with Dudley to buy Dudley something, so now he was waiting outside the shop. 1 minute passed, then 5, then 10, and then 15. Harry was getting impatient. He decided to go inside the shop to tell the Dursleys to hurry up, but when he entered the small shop he didn't see them, they were gone.

He went up to the counter and asked the man at the other side of the table "Have you seen a big man with a big kid around my age with a thin woman?"

The employee just looked at him, shock in his face. Harry came to realize that he probably didn't understand English, so he went outside the shop and looked around to try and find the Dursleys. He didn't see them. He sat on the pavement and started to think "What am I going to do?", but he didn't have much time to think when a young man, the one who had told uncle Vernon the taxi phone number was standing there looking at him with a surprise expression, which quickly turned into a smile.

"Hola amigo, ¿Te has perdido? (*Hello friend, are you lost?)" he said.

Harry looked up into his eyes, they looked old and wise, but Antonio looked to be in his twenties.

"S-sorry, can you repeat that?" Harry asked, he didn't know Spanish after all.

"Oh, sorry, I asked if you were lost" he said with his Spanish accent.

"Well, not really. I lost my family, but I know where I am"

"Ok… do you want me to help you find your family?" he asked with a bright smile, Harry nodded and stood up.

"Lets see… with so many tourists, I can't really tell which ones are your family… there are 3 English people that way" he pointed somewhere "Lets see if they're your family"

Harry didn't know how Antonio knew this, but he didn't ask, he just followed him.

"There they are!" Antonio shouted, pointing at the Dursley family which had jumped at the scream and turned pale.

Uncle Vernon looked like he had just been caught doing something he shouldn't have, he put a fake smile on his face and said "Oh, we were so worried. Where were you?" It was obvious that he wasn't thankful to Antonio for finding them, but still said through gritted teeth "Thank you for finding my nephew"

"De nada (*Your welcome)" he turned to Harry and whispered, "we'll see each other again, ok?"

Harry nodded, extended out his hand and said quietly "Promise me we will meet again"

Antonio smiled and said "Don't worry, I'll make sure we meet again. In fact, I think Arthur was planning something like that, Harry Potter"

"How did he know my name" he wondered, I didn't tell him, and neither did uncle Vernon. He was about to ask how he knew, but Antonio wasn't there. Well, maybe Antonio was a wizard, that was the only way, that would make sense, that's how he found the Dursleys!


	3. A chat

A/N: I've read your reviews. You want different POV and to say what the characters are thinking. You also wanted me to make the chapters longer, but I already made this chapter when I read the reviews, sorry! I tried making it longer but failed!

England POV

I was sitting down, sipping my tea quietly reading the Daily Prophet when I heard a few knocks on the door. I stood up and stretched, it was still very early in the morning, and I was very tired and drowsy. I reluctantly went to the door, I was expecting either America or Prussia.

America would probably be here to annoy me, and I wasn't in the mood right now, not to add that he has this irritable hero complex. Prussia would probably be looking for America or escaping "West" (Germany), not to add his narcissist complex. Why did all the nations have a weird complex?

Maybe it was Germany looking for Prussia? Maybe it was the perverted frog? Maybe it was, wait how was he called again? Canadia? I think that's how America called him.

But I was surprised when instead, I found a familiar face with brown hair and green eyes and a cheery smile.

"Oh, hello there Spain" I muttered in shock. I was expecting many people, well, technically nations, but I wasn't expecting Spain. We were friends now, but he was closer to Romano than anyone else. Plus, it had been many years since I had gotten a visit from Spain.

"From now on just call me Antonio" Spain- no, Antonio replied.

"Why?" I had asked. Why would Spain want to be called Antonio by another nation? Maybe by humans, but from another nation? Wait, unless…

"Well, why not? Plus, I'm planning in re-entering the human world" Antonio said.

"You what?!" I shouted. When Spain said he wanted to be called Antonio, I suspected as much. But why? What's so important?

"And, I'm planning to do that by going to Hogwarts" Antonio added. What?! That was even crazier! To re-enter the human world was already a big thing, but why go to Hogwarts? Why not Beauxbatons? Was Spain being serious? But then I realised something. Harry Potter was attending Hogwarts right now, and I wanted to protect him, since last year I couldn't protect him…

"If I tell you the truth, I was planning on either going to Hogwarts or sending someone. But, why do you want to go to Hogwarts? I want to go there to protect Harry Potter. And are you going as a student or a teacher?" I finally said. It was true, I wanted to either go to Hogwarts or send another nation there.

"I'm going as a second year student, so I can become friends with Harry Potter and that way protect him better" Spain reasoned.

I noticed Spain hadn't answered my other question, but decided to ignore it.

"I guess that makes sense" I shrugged as I said this. It did make sense, but going as a second year student might be suspicious. "Though I think you should go as a first year."

"I could go as an exchange-student" Spain said hopefully.

I sighed and said "Do whatever you please, but don't let anyone know you are a nation."

"Okay! Know that that's out of the way… how am I going to transform into a 12 year old? That's why I came here in the first place, I was going to go to Hogwarts without anyone knowing" Spain said. I knew a spell to turn him into a child, as well as a potion.

"I know a spell and a potion to do that. Which one do you prefer?" I asked, although I already knew the answer… the spell.

"The spell, the potion probably tastes horrid" Called it! It was true, the potion tasted like old socks soaked in milk. Don't ask how I know that.

"Do you have any piece of jewellery?" I asked. Antonio looked surprised, but quickly recovered.

"Yes, I do" he said as he took a small cross necklace from under his shirt. I took it and did the spell called "rejuvenate" and then murmured "duodecim" (twelve in Latin).

The necklace started to glow but soon returned to normal. I gave Antonio the necklace, as he left my house.

"Bye" he muttered.

"Goodbye" I answered as I closed the door.

This was starting to get interesting.


	4. To Hogwarts

A/N: this is quite a long chapter and that's why it took so long to write, so I hope you enjoy it!

Third person POV

Antonio went to Kings Cross Station that would let him go to Hogwarts. He took out his phone and asked England how to get to Hogwarts. England sent him this message:

"You'll need to go to platform 9 ¾, you do that by standing between platform 9 and 10 and running towards the stone pillar"

Antonio's thoughts: all right, lets run into a stone pillar… wait, what?! What did I do to England so that he hates me so much? Well, I'm going to give it a shot anyways. (End of Antonio's thoughts)

Antonio casually and optimistically run towards the stone pillar, right when he thought he was going to crush, he went through, and I repeat through the stone pillar.

He was now at platform 9 ¾ about to go in the Hogwarts Express.

Antonio found an empty compartment and it stayed that way (if you don't count Antonio, of course). He would have liked company but thought it was better this way. This way he could avoid questions which were probably going to come.

TIME SKIP TO WHEN EVERYONE GETS TO HOGWARTS

(*Btw, I changed the Harry Potter story a little bit, when Harry and Ron get to Hogwarts in a flying car, they don't stay in Professor McGonagall's office, instead she tells them that they may see the sorting and then go back to her office)

When he got off the train, he heard a loud voice say "Firs' years! Firs' years! Come with me!"

He went with the first years so that he could be sorted into a house, England had explained the 4 houses: Ravenclaw (the smart), Gryffindor (the brave), Hufflepuff (the kind) and Slytherin (the cunning).

He honestly didn't know where he would get sorted into, but he heard rumours that all Slytherins were corrupted and that all dark wizards came from Slytherin. He also heard that Harry Potter was in Gryffindor, and for his "mission" it would be better to be in the same house.

TIME SKIP TO WHEN THE FIRST YEARS HAVE JUST GOTTEN SORTED

Hermione POV

"And now," Dumbledore explained "we have another student which will be joining the second year, he is an exchange student from Spain," there were whispers after this, I understood why. There had never been an exchange student at Hogwarts before, I read it in _Hogwarts: A History_. "Please welcome Antonio Fernández Carriedo"

A tall handsome boy with brown hair and bright green eyes and - if it was possible - an even brighter smile. He walked in with a little bow and few girls giggled, well he is kind of cute, but I still don't get it. He sat down on the wooden stool and put the sorting hat on.

*This part might be confusing, the words underlined are what only Antonio can hear, because the sorting hat is talking in his mind.

"Mmmhh, you have the qualities to be in any house, Spain" Suddenly Antonio got off the stool, everyone looked puzzled by this, Antonio had already heard the hat talk so that probably wasn't the reason why he had gotten startled, I wonder what the sorting hat told him… "In the past you would have been a good Slytherin, like all nations… you are very intelligent, but normally the people I sent to Ravenclaw is because they want to learn, not because they are smart… you are very brave, and very kind… I don't know! You have all the qualities! Very well… HE MAY CHOOSE!" Wait! What?! That definitely hasn't happened before! I'm sure of it! The hall had gone silent after the Sorting Hat's words

"So… I would have been a good Slytherin in the past…you say I know too much to go to Ravenclaw… so it's between Gryffindor and Hufflepuff…" Antonio muttered. I wonder if he realises he's talking out loud…

Antonio leaned towards the hat and whispered something to him.

The Sorting Hat smirked (if was possible for a hat to smirk) and it said… "GRYFFINDOR!" the whole Gryffindor table, along with me burst into applause and cheers as Antonio walked towards our table.

"Now, after that unique sorting, I have some news, the staff this year is changing slightly. Professor Quirell… isn't available, so our new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher is… Gilderoy Lockhart! (people clapped,). Now, let the feast begin!" Dumbledore said smiling. I was so excited about Gilderoy Lockhart being our new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher I almost forgot about Antonio's sorting… like Dumbledore had said, it had been quite unique. But she put those thoughts to the back of her mind as she heard a voice next to her.

Third person POV

"¡Hola!" Antonio said.

"Does that mean hello?" Ron asked.

"Si" Antonio said as if it was obvious.

"Does that mean yes?" Ron asked.

Antonio looked exasperated "Yes" suddenly he stamped a bright smile on his face and said while extending out a hand so that Ron could shake it "I'm Antonio Fernández Carriedo"

"I know" Ron said bluntly, shaking Antonio's hand, Antonio simply smiled.

"Hi! I'm Hermione Granger, the red head is Ron Weasly and that's Harry Potter" Hermione said.

"Yes, I know" Antonio answered.

"Do I know you?" Harry asked curiously, Antonio looked familiar, but where had he seen him?

Antonio turned visibly paler as he said "N-no", he looked down at his food, suddenly he turned even paler and shouted at the top of his lungs "EVERYBODY STOP EATING! THIS IS BRITISH FOOD!" the whole hall looked at him with confused looks.

"Antonio! What are you doing?!" Hermione shrieked, half shouting half whispering.

"Hermione, you don't understand! Have you tried Arthur's cooking?!" Antonio shrieked back.

"Ah! Yes," Dumbledore interrupted "Don't worry Mr. Carriedo, I've tried Mr. Kirklands cooking, in fact I had to get sent to St. Mungos, but that's another story. But really, don't worry, look around, are there people fainting because of the food?" Antonio looked around and said with a little bow "N-no, lo siento (*sorry). By the way, it's not Mr. Carriedo, it's Mr. Fernández" Dumbledore's eyebrows shot up in surprise but hi face quickly turned into a smile and he nodded "Of course, Mr. Fernández"

Antonio sat down with a blush of embarrassment and turned to his food.

"Hhhmm… what was that about?" asked Ron.

"Well, I've got a British friend, and his cooking is horrible, I'm surprised he hasn't killed anyone with his cooking yet" Antonio answered.

"What about the Mr. Carriedo - Mr. Fernández thing?" asked Hermione curiously "Why do you want him to call you by your middle name?"

"It's not my middle name! It's my first surname!" Antonio answered a little angrily.

"Wait, so you have 2 surnames?" Ron asked.

"Of course I do! Everyone does! (*I made up most of his surnames which aren't Fernández and Carriedo) My full name goes something like this:" he cleared his throat "Antonio Fernández Carriedo Aranda Muñoz Pozo Toro García Jimenez León Lopez Martinez Pascual Serrano"

"That's your full name?!" Ron asked.

"What did you mean when you said everyone has many surnames?" Hermione asked.

"You can find out the rest of your surnames by asking your family. It works like this, you take your dad's surname, then your mum's, then your dad's dad, then your mum's dad, then your dad's mum, then your mum's mum, and so on" Antonio said "I don't know many of my surnames because I don't have parents" he added to everyone's shock.

"What do you mean you have no parents?" Harry asked. Maybe, just maybe Antonio was like him, an orphan.

"I-I shouldn't have said anything" Antonio said going back to his food.

Harry, Hermione and Ron exchanged looks.

When everyone finished their food, the Gryffindors were led by the Head Boy (Percy Weasley) into Gryffindor Tower.

"The new password is _wattlebird_ (*actual password in the book)" Percy said as the portrait of the fat lady opened.

Antonio was to sleep in the same room as Harry and Ron, so he went up to unpack, see his new room and sleep. But Harry, Ron and Hermione stayed in the common room.

"Harry, have you met Antonio before?" Hermione questioned.

"Yes, I have, but I don't remember where…" suddenly something clicked in Harry's brain "I saw him at Spain! He gave uncle Vernon the taxi phone number and when I got lost he helped me find the Dursleys! But now he's a kid! He looked around 20-30 years old! But now he's our age! Twelve!" Harry ended saying. Ron and Hermione looked shocked to say the least.

"W-what do you mean by he looked 20-30 years old?!" Hermione half shrieked-half stuttered.

"We'll just have to ask him tomorrow then" Harry said plainly.

What they didn't know was that a certain Spanish boy had heard their conversation.


	5. Howlers

A/N: I'm going somewhere for the Easter holidays, I won't have Wi-Fi, but I'll try to -somehow- publish more new chapters. Thank you for your reviews!

Third Person POV

Antonio woke up early the next day. He had already prepared an excuse for 'being an adult'. He put his Hogwarts robes on and went down to the Great Hall for breakfast. He was surprised to see that he wasn't the only one awake. Most of the teachers were awake and some students were eating breakfast groggily. He went up to the Gryffindor table and served himself some British food…yuk; but it was still better than Arthur's.

"Hi Antonio" he heard a voice say next to him. It was Ron.

"Hola Ron" Antonio said sleepily. He hadn't noticed that he had sat next to him, since it was quite early. The Golden Trio must have woken up early so that they could ask him questions.

"I was wondering…" Harry started. He probably didn't know how to ask Antonio what he was going to ask, but he continued "didn't I see you at Spain this summer? You gave uncle Vernon the taxi phone number and helped me find the Dursleys when I got lost"

"Yeah… about that…" Antonio said. He remembered his excuse. "You see… I have friends… of course I do… and we were playing truth or dare…" he said nervously "my friend, Francis, dared me to drink a potion to make me older and go around Madrid interacting with people" when he finished, they accepted his excuse, although they were still suspicious. Specially Hermione, she noticed how he didn't look into their eyes and the way he paused several times. So she decided to ask him more questions.

"Why didn't you join Hogwarts last year?" She asked interestedly. Antonio looked uncomfortable but gave a satisfactory answer.

"I was signed up for Beauxbatons, but I never got my Beauxbatons letter even though I had magic. Around October I got my Hogwarts letter, saying that they were meant to have sended earlier but since I wasn't signed up for Hogwarts, I would have to join next year, which is now" Antonio answered her question as though he had been practising and new it of memory. Very suspicious.

"Beauxbatons doesn't sound Spanish" Ron said getting a book-hit from Hermione.

"Yeah, it's French, but Spanish, Dutch, Portuguese, Belgians and Luxembourgians go to Beauxbatons, meaning that Beauxbatons has a larger studentship than Hogwarts" replied Antonio with his strong Spanish accent.

"But why didn't you go to Beauxbatons then, after all, you're Spanish _and_ you even said you were signed up to go to Beauxbatons!" Ron complained. He was happy that Antonio was here instead of in Beauxbatons, but he didn't understand why he was at Hogwarts instead of in Beauxbatons.

"I don't know" Antonio replied with a shrug. That wasn't a good enough answer, or at least not for Hermione. She was about to ask Antonio more about it when an owl dropped a letter in front of Ron. It was a Howler.

The Howler opened by itself and started shouting with Mrs. Weasly's voice "STEALING THE CAR, I WOULDN'T HAVE BEEN SURPRISED IF THEY'D EXPELED YOU, YOU WAIT TILL I GET HOLD OF YOU, I DON'T SUPPOSE YOU STOPPED TO THINK WHAT YOUR FATHER AND I WENT THROUGH WHEN WE SAW IT HAD GONE… LETTER FROM DUMBLEDORE LAST NIGHT, I THOUGHT YOUR FATHER WOULD DIE OF SHAME, WE DIDN'T BRING YOU UP TO BEHAVE LIKE THIS, YOU AND HARRY COULD BOTH HAVE DIED… ABSOLUTELY DISGUSTED, YOUR FATHER'S FACING AN INQUIRY AT WORK, IT'S ENTIRELY YOUR FAULT AND IF YOU PUT ANOTHER TOE OUT OF LINE WE'LL BRING YOU STRAIGHT BACK HOME" the red letter turned into ashes as some people laughed.

"I respect your mother" Antonio told Ron, stifling his laughter.

"Oh, shut up" Ron said grumpily.

Antonio didn't have much to laugh at Ron as a red envelope landed in front of him "Oh, no" he whispered. The envelope started to smoke. He didn't want the letter to explode in his face, so he did the only thing he could do; open it.

Arthur's (England) voice was shouting, but it sounded more desperate than angry, but because of the magic in the letter it still sounded one hundred times louder than the usual "ANTONIO! RUN! ALLISTOR KNOWS WHERE YOU ARE! YOU BETTER SCAPE BEF-" he was cut at the sound of a door being forced open. Then came the sound of a fight and the voice changed, now it was Allistor talking "I BEAT ME WEE BROTHER, AND I'M GOING TER HOGWARTS AND DRAG YA OUT OF THERE!" with that last threat the letter turned into ashes and everyone looked at Antonio's shocked, pale face. He stood up and ran towards the exit doors of the Great Hall when a young man with flaming red hair appeared in the doorway.

"Antonio Fernández Carriedo! What do ye think yar doing at me school!" there was a shocked silence.

"N-now, now Allistor, why don't you calm down and-" Antonio was interrupted by Allistor.

"Ye told my wee brother but you didn't tell me! This school is in _my_ territory! Even if _his_ wizards and witches come here, some of _mine_ do too!" there were more shocked faces. But there were even more shocked faces when Allistor started throwing punches at Antonio, and even more shocked faces when they realised that Antonio was dodging all of them skilfully.

"A-allistor! I-I'm s-sure we can t-talk about i-it over some coffee!" Antonio said while trying to dodge his punches.

"No (he threw a punch) bl**d* (he threw another punch) h*ll!" he shouted throwing a last punch at Antonio's face, but Antonio grabbed his hand and threw him to the floor and sat on top of him.

"You need to calm down! We're in front of kids!" Antonio reasoned.

Dumbledore now stood in front of Allistor and asked politely "are you by any chance Arthur's brother?"

"Course I am! And get your bl**d* hands off me Antonio!" Allistor growled. Antonio complied.

"Nice to officially meet you, Mr. Kirkland" Dumbledore replied extending out his hand. Allistor snorted but took out his hand and shook it.

"I hope yar taking good care of me territory" Allistor said. Dumbledore nodded.

"Yes, I am. I didn't know Antonio hadn't told you about him going here" Dumbledore said calmly. Antonio looked away, dissimulating he was contemplating the Great Hall's interesting ceiling.

"Allistor, is that everything you needed to say?" Antonio asked, almost hopeful.

"Yes, it is" Allistor finished. He waved his hand and said "Oh, by the way, Lovino agus (*and in Scottish Gaelic) the rest of the Bad Touch Trio know ya're here. Bye!" and he dissaperated, shocking everyone, even Dumbledore, except Antonio, who was in hysterics.

"Oh no! If _they_ know I'm here they'll come and embarrass me!" Antonio said desperately.


	6. Herbology and Transfiguration

A/N: Hello! I just wanted to say a few things, for example, if I don't say which POV the story is based on, it's third person POV. Another thing, I confused you and my sister by this, Dumbledore doesn't know about nations, I understand if you thought otherwise, it's my fault.

After having that exceptional breakfast, Professor McGonagall was moving along the Gryffindor table handing out timetables to students. When she handed Harry their new timetable, he saw that the Gryffindors had double Herbology with the Hufflepuffs first.

"I'm so excited for Herbology!" squealed Antonio "Do you think we'll plant tomatoes? Because I'm an expert!"

Ron looked confused, why would he want to grow tomatoes? But Hermione was faster than him "Why would you want to grow tomatoes?"

"Why wouldn't you?" Antonio asked with a cheeky grin.

Harry felt like facepalming, and Ron, actually did facepalm.

They were on the grounds of Hogwarts, walking to the greenhouses, when they saw Professor Sprout, covered in earth -more than the usual anyways- with Gilderoy Lockhart, wearing turquoise robes and a turquoise hat with golden trimmings placed perfectly on his golden hair.

"Hello there, I've just shown Professor Sprout here" he pointed at Professor Sprout "How to treat a Whomping Willow. Now, now, don't think I'm better at Herbology than your Herbology professor, I've just happened to meet many of these exotic plants in my travels and adventures…"

Professor Sprout looked disgruntled and said, "Come on, to Greenhouse Three today"

There were a few murmurs of excitement at this, they had only worked in Greenhouse One before, since the following greenhouses housed more dangerous and interesting plants. Professor Sprout was holding a big key, which opened the door to Greenhouse Three. However, as Harry and Antonio were about to enter the greenhouse, Lockhart grabbed their shoulders and held them back.

"I've been meaning to talk to you two" he whispered in their ears, making them jump. He turned around towards Professor Sprout and said, "you don't mind if this two are a few minutes late, do you?" Professor Sprout's face said that she did care, but before she could answer his question, Lockhart shut the door in her face.

"Boys, boys, boys…" Lockhart said shaking his head. "Flying a car to Hogwarts," he said towards Harry but turned to Antonio, "telling the Sorting Hat to let you decide which house you would be in, telling your red-head friend to come to Hogwarts and interrupt breakfast… of course I know the reason, it was my fault." Harry and Antonio looked confused, what did he mean by that? Antonio was more angry than confused, was he actually so estupido that he thought he had done it on purpose?!

"Harry, I'm sorry, it's all my fault" at this words Harry and Antonio looked even more confused, what the h*ll was he talking about?! "I gave you the taste of publicity, even made the front cover of the Daily Prophet, you just wanted a little more…"

What? No- Professor…" Harry started but was interrupted when Lockhart raised a hand.

"Harry, Harry, _Harry_ " he continued "It's natural and understandable that you wanted more publicity. But you just can't go and start _flying cars_ to try and get famous and gain publicity. You'll have time when you get older. The same goes to you Antonio. You got the smallest taste of publicity, being an exchange student, and you made all that fuss in during the sorting and breakfast" he placed a hand on Antonio's shoulder and said with a smile, "just try to calm down a little"

Before Antonio could shout at him, he strode off towards the castle. They went inside Greenhouse Three and joined Ron and Hermione to learn about Mandrakes. They looked awfully like a baby, a very, _very_ ugly baby. The type of baby only a mother could be proud of. (*As stated in the book) They were used to return people which have been transfigured or cursed, to their original state.

All the students came out exhausted and sweating, even Neville was exhausted, being the best last year; all of them were covered in dirt and sweat except for one person, Antonio. He said he just had a lot of practice on farming, but Professor Sprout insisted for him to tell her his secret at being this good at such an early age, what she didn't know was that he wasn't as young as she thought he was.

"You're really good at Herbology! Blimey, maybe even better than Neville!" Ron said while they walked back to the castle.

Antonio blushed and muttered "I had a lot of practice when I was a kid…"

Their next lesson was Transfiguration, today they were to turn a beetle into a button.

"Does anybody want to have a first go in front of the class?" Professor McGonagall asked the class. Normally, only Hermione would raise her hand, but not today, Antonio raised his hand, since Professor McGonagall always chose Hermione, she decided to choose Antonio.

He jumped out of his seat with excitement and to her desk. They had already practised the wand movement and the enchantment (verbally), the only thing left was to do both at the same time. Antonio raised his wand, said the enchantment while making the correct wand movement, and his beetle turned into a beautiful red button with golden details. She was impressed, to say the least. The whole class burst into applause and cheers when the shock had passed, they had only seen Hermione learn a spell so fast, but never _that_ good. Hermione was also impressed. Of course, they didn't know that Antonio already knew how to perform magic better than most. So, he decided to refrain from showing too much knowledge for people to become suspicious, but still enough to get good grades.

"Excellent job, Mr. Fernández." Commented McGonagall "Since you already know how to turn a beetle into a button, why don't you try doing the next thing in the book"

"But, I already know how to make everything in the book" Antonio said, but soon regretted it. So much to not be suspicious. "I-I mean… I tried doing this spells at home already…"

"So you are telling me you already know everything in the book, Mr. Fernández?" McGonagall asked, for once impressed.

"Yes, I'm sorry" Antonio didn't know why he was apologising, but it seemed the right thing to do at the moment.

"Then, could you turn this chair into a turtle and back?" what only McGonagall and Hermione knew, was that this enchantment was for fourth years…

"Yes ma'am" Antonio answered. He did a quick wand movement, muttered something, and the chair was now a turtle! He did something similar and the turtle turned back into a chair. "Is that all?" he asked innocently, he didn't read the Transfiguration books since he knew everything in them, so he didn't realise this was a fourth year spell until it was too late…

"What?! No way! We aren't supposed to learn that spell until fourth year!" shrieked Hermione. Everyone stopped their cheering and clapping and turned to a tomato faced Antonio.

"W-what do you m-mean Hermione by it's a f-fourth year spell?" asked Antonio, now desperate to crawl into a hole and stay there until nobody remembered him.

"That is quite true Miss Granger" McGonagall said. She turned towards Antonio and asked "care to explain, Mr. Fernández?"

"I-I don't feel well, I think I should go to the Hospital Wing" he turned to the open door, he was about to exit when the door shut in his face. "Y-yes Professor McGonagall?"

"I'll repeat myself one last time, do you care to explain?" McGonagall asked, now fierce. She had never known a second year which could do fourth year spells, the closest person was Granger, but even she wasn't at that level.

"S-since I could do the second year spells, I-I tried the third and f-fourth year spells" Antonio quickly made up.

"See me after class, Mr. Fernández" McGonagall said, now to her usual, stern self.

"O-okay" Antonio replied shakily. Why was he so stupid he didn't realise that was a fourth year spell?

The class went okay with no more interruptions. At the end of the class, only Hermione could turn her beetles into buttons. Harry's beetle got a lot of exercise trying not to be hit by Harry's spell. Ron's wand had been broken in the flying car incident, and now it didn't work right. Ron didn't want to ask for a new wand, he didn't want to risk getting another Howler. At the end of the class, McGonagall asked Antonio to wait for the others to go outside.

"In the beginning of this lesson, we all saw how good at Transfiguration you are for a second year" McGonagall started while pacing around Antonio "Do you know what an animagus is?"

"Si" Antonio replied nervously. Where was this going?

"Obviously, I would need to ask the headmaster first, but, would you like to try to become an animagus?" She finally asked. He had the potential, the only thing left was for him to accept the offer.

Antonio thought about it. It would be cool being an animagus, but it would be hard, really hard. But it would be super cool! "Yes, I would" he answered Professor McGonagall excited, but as politely as he could muster.

"Very well, I will tell the headmaster immediately" she said with one of her rare smiles.

This was getting interesting.


	7. Draco Malfoy

A/N: I know you guys want the BTT and Lovino to arrive at Hogwarts, and they will… eventually. I'm planning next chapter, since I don't want to keep you guys waiting. Sorry for the late update!

Antonio POV

We had just finished our morning classes and now it was lunch time. Hermione was reading _Voyages with Vampires_ by Gilderoy Lockhart, and Harry, Ron and I were talking about Quidditch. Of course, they didn't know I've been playing that game since it was made, but it was still fun to talk about.

"Antonio, do you play Quidditch at Spain?" Harry asked. I laughed, it was a little weird hearing the word 'Spain' and it not referring to me.

"Yes, we do" I answered, still laughing "I think it's played all around the globe. Although I think in some parts in Africa they have a few different rules" I said, now thoughtful.

"Really?" Ron asked, interested "which position do you play in?"

"Mmmhh… I don't know" I said, shrugging "I play in all positions. Although I don't really like all the 'fame', so I stay as a Beater or as a Chaser, since I share the 'fame' with other people"

"That's really honourable of you" Hermione said, finally taking her eyes off the book since lunchtime started.

"Thank you?" I said uncertainly. It was just a Quidditch position (mental shrug).

"Are you good at it?" Harry asked innocently. I knew he didn't mean it in a bad way, but it was too funny not to laugh at, after all, I had practiced it for hundreds of years.

"Yes, at least I think I am" I said after laughing. "You're Gryffindor Seeker, aren't you?"

"Yes, I am" Harry answered.

"And your twin brothers are beaters?" I asked Ron, although I regretted it at the look of Ron's face.

"Yeah, they are" he answered grudgingly.

"You know, I know another set of twins. One is really quiet and everyone always forgets about him, and the other one is very loud, and I guess you could say he's not easy to forget." I said remembering America and Canada. Why did everyone always forget him? He was a bigger country than America!

"Fred and George are more like the second one you mentioned" Ron said. I hadn't talked to those two much, but from what the teachers said, they were a bunch of troublemakers. We couldn't continue the conversation we were having because suddenly, a short, blond Gryffindor boy came up to us; he was a first year.

(*There will be lots of speeches directly taken out of the book, although I'll try to change them a bit, without taking out their meaning)

"All right, Harry? I'm – I'm Colin Creevey," he said breathlessly. "I was wondering… well if you don't mind… could I have a picture?" he said while raising the camera hopefully.

"A picture?" Harry asked, as though he didn't know what a picture was.

"You know… to prove I've met you" he answered eagerly putting down his camera "I know all about you. When you survived when You-Know-Who tried to kill you when you were a baby…how he disappeared…how you survived with only a lighting shaped scar on your forehead" he took a quick look at Harry's forehead "and one of my friends said if I develop it in the right potion, the pictures will _move_!" he gave a shuddering breath before continuing "It's _brilliant_ here, isn't it? I didn't know the odd stuff I could do was magic till I got the letter from Hogwarts. My dad's a milkman, he couldn't believe it when I got my letter. So I'm taking photos and sending them to him. And I thought, could I have a picture of? Your friend can take it, and I could stand next to you, and then, could you sing it?"

" _Signed photos?_ You're giving out _signed photos,_ Potter?" a sneering blond said loudly, accompanied by two other big boys. But I'm sure I could take them easily any day, any time.

" _Malfoy_ " Harry and Ron muttered together. That must be his name, the blond one, which seemed to be the leader. I had heard a few stories about Malfoy and his cronies Crabbe and Goyle.

"Everyone queue up!" Malfoy roared to the crowd. "Harry Potter's giving out signed photos!"

"No, I'm not," said Harry angrily, his fists clenching. "Shut up, Malfoy"

"You're just jealous" Colin piped up, even though he was at a clear disadvantage, his entire body was as thick as Crabbe's neck! Someone needs to eat their tomatoes.

" _Jealous_ " Malfoy said, although I think I saw a hint of fear in his eyes, he didn't need to shout anymore, as half the courtyard was listening. "Of what? Having my head cut open? Having a foul scar on my head? I don't think that makes you special, myself"

Crabbe and Goyle sniggered stupidly.

"Eat slugs, Malfoy," said Ron angrily. Crabbe started rubbing his knuckles in a menacing way.

"Be careful, Weasly," sneered Malfoy. "You don't want to start any trouble or your mummy'll have to come and take you away from school." He changed his voice to a higher pitched and tried to imitate Mrs. Weasly " _If you put another toe out of line-_ "

A bunch of Slytherin fifth years laughed at this.

"Weasly wants a signed photo, Potter," smirked Malfoy. "I'd be worth more than his family's whole house"

At this, Ron took out hi Spellotaped wand, Hermione finally shut Voyages with Vampires and whispered, "don't do it, Ron!" I knew danger when I saw it, so I stepped up to face Malfoy.

"Sorry, Malfoy, but fangirls that want signed photos of Harry need to wait in line" I said looking down at Malfoy.

"Oh, it's you," Malfoy said with a surprised looked which quickly turned into a horrible smirk, "now, why don't you tell me why you're befriending this muggle-born and blood traitors? After all, you come from a purer family then mine, and that's saying something" I gave him a disgusted look, which he gave me back. Harry, Hermione and Ron were looking astonished at me. What did this boy know about me?

"So what? Who your parents are doesn't matter, Hermione's parents are muggles, but she's the best at magic in our class!" I shot back.

"Actually, she isn't. I heard you're the new best. Why are with scum like them, when you can be with us." He motioned himself, Crabbe and Goyle. Who would want to be with them?

"The only scum _I_ see is you" I retorted. Some people 'ohhed' and said 'get burned' towards Malfoy. Malfoy gave a huff noise, but didn't give up.

"I told my dad, which by the way is in a super high rank at the Ministry, to look for files about Antonio Fernández Carriedo, but he told me it was one of the oldest files in the Spanish Ministry, and that it was too protected. Just, _what_ are you hiding, Fernández"

"Nothing that concerns you," I replied. Why was I so stupid? I basically just told him that I am hiding something! (mental facepalm). But luckily a voice was heard, unluckily, it belonged to the new DADA teacher.

"What's all this, what's all this?" Lockhart questioned. "Who's giving out signed photos?"

Harry opened his mouth to say something, but stopped when Lockhart flung an arm around Harry's shoulder and said "should have known! Harry, we meet again" I saw a smirking Malfoy smoothly slide back into the crowd. God, I hate that kid. Also, what did Lockhart expect? We're in the same school! Of course, you're going to meet Harry again! Plus, our next lesson was DADA. I hadn't noticed that while I was talking with Malfoy, the bell signalling it was time for the next class, had rung.

Lockhart motioned for Colin to take a picture of both Harry and himself, and then turned to the crowd "Off you go, class started five minutes ago"

Lockhart drove Harry through the front doors, down a corridor and up a staircase into the DADA classroom. It was now filled with portraits of no other than Lockhart himself, all of them occasionally winking.

"You could've fried an egg on your face" taunted Ron "You better hope Creevey doesn't meet Ginny, they'll be starting a Harry Potter fan club." Where had I heard that name before?

"Shut up," Harry snapped.

"Wait, isn't Ginny your sister?" I asked.

"Yeah, the youngest and only girl" Ron answered.

"Really? Most of my family are girls…" I said thoughtfully, thinking about my former colonies… Philippines, Venezuela, Colombia, Chile, Paraguay, Bolivia, etc. I'm proud to say that I have more (former) colonies then England.

Before we could continue with our conversation, Lockhart, unfortunately, started talking. He gave out three exam papers to each of us and turned to the class.

"You have thirty minutes. Start- _now_!"

I turned my papers around and read the first questions… they were all about Lockhart!

1\. What is Gilderoy Lockhart's favourite colour?

2\. What is Gilderoy Lockhart's secret ambition?

3\. What, in your opinion, is Gilderoy Lockhart's greatest achievement to date?

I'm going to have fun writing answers to these questions.

"The thirty minutes have passed. Who wants to read some of their answers" Lockhart asked to the class. Of course, I raised my hand. He motioned for me to say what I wrote.

"1. Black and yellow, like his real teeth. 2. Be known by more people then just 40-year-old women and 11-18 year old kids. 3. Being more narcissist then Gilbert." When I finished everyone except a few girls were laughing.

"HAHAHAHA, wait, who's Gilbert?" Ron asked after falling to the ground of too much laughing.

"He's one of my friends. Imagine the most narcissistic person, then imagine him as a German albino. That's Gilbert" I answered. This was the most exact description of the personification of Prussia. Ron thought about it for a minute and then continued laughing, rolling on the floor.

"Now, everybody calm down" Lockhart started, with a shadow of his usual smile. "I'm sorry Mr. Fernández, but those answers all incorrect"

"Technically speaking, you're wrong" I told him.

"I wrote the questions, I know the correct answers, and those aren't the correct answers" he said with a small smile.

"Actually, in question three, it says 'in your opinion', so there are multiple answers" I retorted back. Get burned!

"V-very well" he fidgeted "ummm… but Miss Hermione Granger got all of the answers correct! Where is Miss Granger?" he tried to change the subject. Hermione raised a shaky hand "Excellent! Take ten points for Gryffindor! And so, to business…"

He bent down and retrieved a covered cage from under his desk. "Now- be warned! It is my job to arm you against the foulest creatures known to wizard kind! You may find yourselves facing your worst fears in this room. Know only that no harm can befall you whilst I am here. All I ask is that you remain calm."

Now I'm interested! What creature did he bring? How do you fight back? Even if the teacher is an idiota, the lessons might be interesting!

"I must ask you not to scream," said Lockhart in a low voice. "It might provoke them."

As the whole class held its breath, Lockhart whipped off the cover.

"Yes," he said dramatically. " _Freshly caught Cornish Pixies_!"

Seamus Finnigan snorted loudly, Lockhart looked at him and asked, smiling "yes?"

"Well, they're not- they're not very _dangerous_ , are they?" Seamus replied.

"Don't be so sure!" said Lockhart pointing a finger at Seamus. "Devilish tricky blighters they can be!"

The Cornish Pixies were a vibrant, electric blue and about twenty and a half inches high and with high pitched, shrilling voices. Once the cloth over their cage had been removed, they started jumping at the cage's bars and made insulting faces at the students.

"Right then," Lockhart said loudly. "Let's see what you make of them!" And he opened the page.

"ESTUPIDO!" I shouted. Was he really so stupid he set Cornish Pixies wild?! Sure, they're small; but they were one of the biggest trouble makers in the wizard _and_ muggle world!

As soon as they escaped the cage, they started destroying the room more efficiently then rampaging rhinos. Just like I knew they would. A pair of pixies took hold of Neville and hung him on the chandelier.

"Come on now, round them up, round them up, they're only pixies…" Lockhart shouted over the mayhem that was the classroom. Since nobody paid heed, Lockhart rolled his sleeves and shouted "Peskipiksi Pesternomi!"

This did absolutely nothing; one of the pixies took Lockhart's wand, and to his surprise, threw it out of the window. With no other option, Lockhart dived under his desk just as the bell rung.

Everyone went on a sprint towards the exit, just as the trio and I were about to exit, Lockhart called towards us "Well, I'll ask you four to just nip the rest of them back into their cage." He said while shutting the door behind him.

"Well, let's at least try the spell he failed at" I said optimistically, trying to brighten the mood. "Peskipiksi Pesternomi!"

Suddenly, all of the Cornish Pixies froze, shoot past them and into the cage, which closed after the last pixies had been imprisoned.

"Can you _believe_ him?" Ron roared as we left the classroom.

"He just wanted to give us some hands-on experience," Hermione said.

" _Hands on_?" said Harry, obviously astonished at what her friend had just said. "Hermione, he didn't have a clue what he was doing."

"Well, he did say the correct spell" I said, again, trying to brighten the mood.

"Rubbish," said Hermione. "You've read his books- look at all those amazing things he's done…"

"He says he's done," Ron muttered.

But right now I had more urgent things to think about. Why weren't the rest of the Bad Touch Trio and Lovino coming to Hogwarts, if they knew where I was? I should send them a letter… yeah! That's a great idea! Plus, it might seem weird if a twelve-year-old-boy is friends with more-than-twenty-year-olds, so they would need to talk to England for that. They're probably not coming because: 1. They think Scotland and England are lying about me being at Hogwarts or 2. They don't know how to get to Hogwarts. If it's option 1, it might take a while; if it's option 2, they'll probably just ask England; and he'll tell them after being tortured for a few days… poor guy; wait, no, poor me! They're after _me_!

Dear Gilbert and Francis,

I know you know I'm at Hogwarts. You'll probably try to come here, so if you're going to come here, please go to Arthur and tell him to enchant one of you necklaces or whatever jewellery you want so that you can be kids again. This is necessary because it would be weird if a kid and an adult are best friends and because I already mentioned you two to my new friends here at Hogwarts.

Best wishes,

Antonio Fernández Carriedo.

I hope that's good enough for them.


	8. Paying Hagrid a visit

**A/N: I know this took long, but it's the longest chapter yet. I'm sorry for the people who wanted to see France and Prussia, you'll have to wait a little bit more, since I can't just make them barge in.**

Whenever Harry saw Gilderoy Lockhart or Colin Creevey (which apparently memorised Harry's timetable), he would duck out of sight or go down another corridor, or just try to avoid them in general.

Antonio had send -what Harry thought as a mysterious letter since he didn't know what was written it- a letter to someone by his owl, which was called Churro, which apparently comes from Spain, not Mexico… you learn something new every day.

Ron's wand still didn't work and made a mayhem every time he used his wand.

Now it was almost the weekend, and Harry, Ron, Hermione and Antonio had been planning on visiting Hagrid on Saturday morning. Antonio to properly meet the man, and the Golden Trio to visit a friend. But Harry was awakened earlier than he had hoped by his Quidditch captain, Oliver Wood.

"Whassamatter?" said Harry, still half-asleep.

"Quidditch practice!" said Wood excitedly. "Come on!"

"Oliver" Harry said groggily while he peered through the window "it's the crack of dawn"  
"Exactly!" said Wood getting more excited by the second. "It's part of our new training programme. Come on, grab your broom and let's go. None of the other teams have started training yet, we're going to be first off the mark this year… Well! Meet you in the pitch in fifteen minutes."

Harry got off his bed and remembered something, that's right! Antonio wanted to see the Gryffindor team practice! He went up to Antonio's bed, was about to shake Antonio awake, when he found himself on the ground with Antonio on top of him with a giant axe next to his throat.

"Who do you work for?!" Antonio asked, then he saw it was Harry and let go of him "Oh! Sorry Harry! I thought you were trying to kill me or kidnap me!"

"Is that a normal thing for you?" Harry asked massaging his back and neck.

Antonio thought about it and answered, "It happens about once or twice a month"

Harry was left opened mouthed at this statement. Did someone actually try to kill a boy the same age as himself, and the boy acted as though it was normal?

"Oh, are you going to Quidditch practice right now?" Antonio asked, eying Harry's Quidditch robes and broomstick lying on his bed.

"Yes, I was. Didn't you want to go to Quidditch practice with me?" Harry asked, already knowing the answer.

"Si" Antonio answered him, just like he expected.

Harry turned around to see Antonio changing into his Hogwarts robes, and was shocked when he saw how many scars Antonio had on his back. "A-Antonio, what happened to your back?!"

Antonio quickly put on his shirt and said nervously "N-nothing!" and he ran out of the dorm before Harry could ask any more questions.

Immediately when Harry got out of his dorm, Colin Creevey showed up. The annoying boy asked Harry questions about Quidditch, and Harry didn't see Antonio to ask him questions, although they would be different ones then the ones Creevey was asking. Harry and Colin parted when they reached the Gryffindor changing rooms, and Harry was surprised to see Antonio was also there.

"Now, I wanted a quick talk with you all before we actually get onto the pitch, because I spent the summer devising a whole new training programme, which I really think will make all the difference…" Wood started babbling and showing and talking about techniques they could use, when Antonio interrupted him.

"Judging their physical build, wouldn't it be better if Alicia went here and Angelina over here?" Antonio said, and Oliver and Antonio started talking about techniques, Antonio always the one to suggest the better suggestion. To say the least, Oliver was and looked impressed.

"You know, you would make a good addition in the team, are you good at Quidditch?" Oliver asked.

"Well… I think so" Antonio answered. "Would you like me to demonstrate after we finish talking about the three boards you brought with techniques and all?"

Oliver looked really excited about this, "Of course I would! Harry, can Antonio borrow your broom? It's the best we've got"

"Sure" Harry answered. He had hoped to ride his broomstick after so long, but he could always wait a little longer…

After Wood and Antonio had finished talking, they grabbed their brooms and got outside. Antonio took Harry's broom, mounted it, kicked the ground hard and soared into the air. He did some surprising loops and dives, including the Wrongsi Feint, and landed smoothly.

"I feel much more awake now!" Antonio said while he dismounted Harry's Nimbus Two Thousand.

"That was incredible!" Oliver shrieked in over excitement.

"Impressive" Hermione said, Ron and she had arrived in time to see Antonio fly.

"Brilliant!" Fred and George said together.

"Thanks" Antonio said with a sheepish smile, he didn't seem as though he knew what to say. He gave Harry his broom back and went to sit with Colin, which no one had noticed until they heard the click click of his camera taking photos.

Oliver narrowed his eyes and said "Who's that? He could be a Slytherin trying to spy?

"The Slytherins don't need a spy, Oliver," Fred said.

"What makes you say that?" said Wood testily.

"Because they're here in person" George answered.

"I don't believe it!" Wood hissed in outrage. "I booked the pitch for today! We'll see about this!"

Wood stormed towards the Slytherins, now at the edge of the Quidditch pitch.

"Flint!" Wood bellowed at the Slytherin captain. "This is our practice time! We got up specially! You can clear off now!"

Marcus Flint was a very large boy, even larger than Wood. "Plenty of room for all of us, Wood" he said with his trollish complexion.

Angelina, Alicia and Katie had joined by now. Antonio noticed that there were no girls in the Slytherin team, they weren't just stupid, but they were also sexist by the looks of it.

"But I booked the pitch!" said Wood, positively spitting with rage. "I booked it!"

"Ah," Flint continued, "but I've got a specially signed note here from Professor Snape. _I Professor S. Snape, give the Slytherin team permission to practice today on the Quidditch pitch, owing to the need to train their new Seeker_."

"You've got a new Seeker?" Wood said, distracted. "Where?"

From behind the six large figures before them came a seventh, smaller boy, smirking all over his pale, pointed face; Draco Malfoy.

"Aren't you Lucius Malfoy's son?" said Fred, looking at Malfoy with dislike.

"Funny you should mention Draco's father," said Flint, as the whole Slytherin team smiled still more broadly. "Let me show you the generous gift he's made to the Slytherin team."

All seven of them held out their broomsticks. Seven highly polished, brand-new handles and seven sets of fine gold lettering spelling the words 'Nimbus Two Thousand and One' gleamed under the Gryffindor's noses in the early-morning sun.

"Very latest model. Only came out last month," said Flint carelessly, flicking a speck of dust from the end of his own. "I believe it outstrips the old Two Thousand series by a considerable amount. As for the old Cleansweeps," he smiled nastily at Fred and George, who were both clutching Cleansweep Fives, "sweeps the board with them."

None of the Gryffindor team could think of anything to say for a moment. Malfoy was smirking so broadly his cold eyes were reduced to slits.

"Good, aren't they?" said Malfoy smoothly. "But perhaps the Gryffindor team will be able to raise some gold and get new brooms, too. You could raffle off those Cleansweep Fives, I expect a museum would bid for them."

The Slytherin team howled with laughter.

"At least no one on the Gryffindor team had to _buy_ their way in," said Hermione sharply. " _They_ got in on pure talent."

The smug look on Malfoy's face flickered.

"No one asked your opinion, you filthy little Mudblood," he spat.

Flint had to dive in front of Malfoy to stop Fred and George jumping on him, Alicia shrieked, "How dare you!" and Ron plunged his hand into his robes, pulled out his wand, yelling, "You'll pay for that one, Malfoy!" and pointed it furiously under Flint's arm at Malfoy's face.

A loud band echoed around the stadium and a jet of green light shot out of the wrong end of Ron's wand, hitting him in the stomach and sending him reeling backwards onto the grass.

"Ron! Ron! Are you all right?" squealed Hermione.

Ron opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. Instead he gave an almighty belch and several slugs dribbled out of his mouth onto his lap.

The Slytherin team were paralysed with laughter. They only stopped when Antonio started speaking.

"I'm going to give you three seconds to get out of my sight" he said menacingly, giving the Slytherin team a murderous look.

The Slytherin just continued laughing, when Antonio said "Uno," they stopped a little to look up at Antonio. "Dos," their faces started paling at the look the Spaniard was giving them. "Tres!" Antonio finished shouting, he jumped on top of Malfoy, punched him on his pale, horrible face, leaped up as Flint tried to attack him, sent a kick towards Flint's stomach, sending him to the ground. He looked at the rest of the Slytherin team and said almost in a whisper, "I'll give you three more seconds to run." The other Slytherins didn't need to be told twice, before Antonio could start counting again, they were gone.

The Gryffindor team, Hermione and Ron were shocked. They had always seen Antonio as a cheerful, passionate boy that ignored the atmosphere; now they were seeing an angry, aggressive boy, but he quickly turned around with a smile and said, "We'd better get Ron to the Hospital Wing, or something…"

"Hagrid's nearest" Hermione said.

"Who's Hagrid?" Antonio said as he helped Hermione and Harry lift Ron.

"You already met him," Hermione said.

"I did?" Antonio asked, even more confused now.

"Yes, he's the big guy that led you to the boats when you arrived at Hogwarts" Harry said patiently.

"Oh… that guy" Antonio muttered as they arrived at Hagrid's small hut.

The door to Hagrid's hut opened, but it wasn't Hagrid at the door, it was Lockhart.

"Oh, look. It's Glinda the sparkly wizard" Antonio muttered. Harry snorted, Hermione hit Antonio on the arm, and Ron didn't know who they were talking about.

"Quick, behind here," Harry hissed, dragging Ron and the others to a nearby bush.

They waited until Lockhart was out of sight, then pulled the rest out of the bush and up to Hagrid's front door. Harry and Hermione knocked urgently.

Hagrid appeared at once looking very grumpy, but his expression brightened when he saw who it was.

"Bin wonderin' when you'd come ter see me – come in, come in – thought you mighta bin Professor Lockhart back again."

Harry and Hermione supported Ron over the threshold, into the one-roomed cabin, which had an enormous bed in one corner, a fire crackling merrily in another, while Antonio introduced himself.

"Hola! I'm Antonio Fernández Carriedo." He stretched his hand for Hagrid to take.

"Hello, I'm Rubeus Hagrid, the gamekeeper 'ere at Hogwarts" Hagrid said shaking Antonio's outstretched hand.

Hagrid didn't seem to be perturbed by Ron's slug problem, which hastily explained as he lowered Ron into a chair.

"Better out than in," Antonio said cheerfully, passing him a large copper basin which Hagrid had given him for Ron.

"Get 'em all up, Ron" Hagrid said, just as cheerful.

"I don't think there's anything to do except for it to atop," said Hermione anxiously, watching Ron bend over the basin. "That's a difficult curse to work at the best of times, but with a broken wand…"

Hagrid was bustling around, making them tea. His boarhound, Fang, was slobbering over Harry.

"What did Lockhart want with you, Hagrid?" Harry asked, scratching Fang's ears.

"Givin' me advice in gettin' kelpies out of a well," he growled, moving a half-plucked rooster off his scrubbed table and setting down the teapot. "Like I don't know. An' bangin' on about some Banshee he banished. If one word of it was true, I'll eat my kettle."

"I think you're being a bit unfair. Professor Dumbledore obviously thought he was the best man for the job-"

"He was the on'y man for the job," interrupted Hagrid, offering them a plate of treacle toffee, while Ron coughed out more slugs into his basin. "An' I mean the on'y one. Getting' very difficult ter find anyone fer the Defence Against the Dark Arts job. People aren't too keen ter take it on, see. They're startin' ter think it's jinxed. No one's lasted long fer a while now. So tell me," Hagrid said, jerking his head at Ron, "who was he tryin' to curse?"

"Malfoy called Hermione something. It must've been really bad, because everyone went mad." Harry took a quick glance at Antonio, which was looking guilty on his seat.

"It was bad," Ron said hoarsely, emerging over the table top, looking pale and sweaty. "Malfoy called her 'Mudblood', Hagrid-"

Ron dived out of sight again as a fresh wave of slugs made their appearance. Hagrid looked outraged.

"He didn'!" He growled at Hermione.

"He did," she said. "but I don't know what it means. I could tell it was really rude, of course…"

"It's about the most insulting thing he could think of," Ron gasped, coming back up. "Mudblood's a really foul name who was Muggle-born – you know, non-magic parents. There are some wizards – like Malfoy's family – who think they're better than everyone else because they're what people call pure-blood."

"I figured" Antonio muttered, with distaste clear in his face.

"What do you mean?" Hermione asked.

"Well, in Spanish we have a similar word, Sangresucia, which directly means dirty blood" Antonio shrugged.

"And that chat about blood purity, didn't Malfoy mention it when you two were fighting (*on chapter 7)?" Harry asked.

"Oh," Antonio looked taken aback. "I'm part of what people call the purest-blooded family in Spain, as well as the richest." All of them gaped at this latest information.

"Wow" Ron whispered. Antonio blushed when all of the attention was on him.

"But that doesn't matter." Antonio said. "Look at Neville Longbottom – he's pure-blood and he can hardly stand a cauldron the right way up."

"An' they haven't invented a spell our Hermione can't do," said Hagrid proudly, making Hermione go a brilliant shade of magenta. "Not to add that she's the best in her class, possibly the school!" Hagrid roared, but he didn't expect Hermione to look depressed, he was trying to cheer her up!

"Not anymore…" Hermione muttered.

"What do you mean? Than who?" Hagrid asked, still shocked. Harry, Ron and Hermione looked at Antonio, who was playing with Fang, not noticing they were talking about him until they all looked at him.

"Why're you looking at me?" Antonio asked, confused.

"Because _you_ _'_ _re_ the best in our class now," Ron said.

"Blimey, I didn't expect that!" Hagrid said. He tried to change the topic. "Well, what happened after Ron tried to curse Malfoy?"

Ron had a horrible smirk now, "Antonio punched Malfoy on the face and Flint on the stomach" he said while another slug made its way up.

"Yer an interestin' kid, Antonio" Hagrid said whilst laughing, but suddenly stopped, "but you shouldn't ha'e done that"

"I know," Antonio looked exasperated. "It's not like I'm proud of it. Although they _did_ deserve that."

"Harry," Hagrid said suddenly, as though struck by a sudden thought, "gotta bone ter pick with yeh. I've heard you've bin givin' out signed photos. How come I haven't got one?"

Furious, Harry wrenched his teeth apart.

"I have not been giving out signed photos," he said hotly. "If Lockhart's still putting that about-"

But he stopped when he saw Hagrid laughing.

"I'm on'y jokin'," he said, patting Harry genially on the back and sending him, face first, onto the table. "I knew yeh hadn't really. I told Lockhart yeh didn' need teh. Yer more famous than him without tryin'."

"Bet he didn't like that," said Harry, sitting up and rubbing his chin.

"Don't think he did," said Hagrid, his eyes twinkling. "An' then I told him I'd never read one o' his books an' he decided ter go. Treacle toffee, Ron?" he added, as Ron reappeared.

"No thanks," said Ron weakly. "Better not risk it." He burped and a single slug came out of his mouth. When he came back up, he looked at Antonio with a curious look as he asked, "I was wondering… do you have any brothers or sisters?"

Nobody expected the reaction Ron got from Antonio. Antonio looked confused, contradicted, and he opened his mouth several times, as though as if he was going to answer, but closed it. He sighed and said, "I'm not sure."

"W-what do you mean?" Hermione asked. How could you not be sure if you had a brother or sister? Unless… "What do your parents say?"

Now Antonio looked uncomfortable. "I don't really have parents…" Antonio sighed, after all, almost no nations had parents, sure, England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland and Northern Ireland had Britannia… and Veneciano and Romano had the Roman Empire… but could the Roman Empire be considered Antonio's parent? Maybe family… but probably not dad…

"I-I'm sorry, I didn't know…" Hermione stuttered. She probably though he meant that his parents were dead… well, he was going to have to lie and stick with that, only if they asked though. "So, you don't know if you have brothers or sisters?"

"Mmmhhh… technically I-I do," this were some painful memories… of all of his colonies that called him dad, then when they got older they stopped, and instead called him big brother, but they also stopped that when they got their independence…

Antonio clutched his chest, were his heart was and whispered painfully, "I do… but they don't think I'm their brother, they know I am, but they don't _want_ to refer to me as a brother." He wanted to say more, but he couldn't. Tears were threatening to spill when he thought of all the independence wars he had gone through… not _his_ independence wars, but his brother's, no they were his _sons_ , but if they didn't accept him as a brother, they wouldn't accept him as what he was, their father.

"But if you don't have parents, and you don't have siblings, then who's your guardian?" Harry asked. Maybe Antonio was like him, with no parents _or_ family in general, even though he had the Dursleys, he didn't consider them his family.

"What do you mean? I live in my own house. I get my own money, and I pay for my own things. I cook my own meals, I clean my own house/mansion…" Antonio answered, but stopped at the shocked faces he was getting. "B-but sometimes I-I get help, please don't look at me with those faces!"

"B-but yer just kid!" Hagrid said, then thought a little and asked, "then, signed the form so that you could come to Hogwarts?"

"Oh, Arthur Kirkland. He's… a friend" Hermione noticed how Antonio thought before saying the word 'friend'.

"Where did I hear that name before…?" Hermione muttered with a frown.

"Mmmhh… well, he's the British guy I said cooked horrible. Oh! And Allistor is his older brother, in fact Arthur has four brothers." Antonio said.

"I still feel like I've heard that name before…" Hermione muttered again.

"Well, he _does_ work for the Queen, just like I work for _my_ King…" Ok, he should not have said that. "W-well, I-I'm just going t-t go get some f-fresh air…" And he ran out of the cabin.

Antonio ran and ran until he got to the castle, where he met McGonagall… "Hello Mr. Fernández," she said with a murderous glare. "You, Professor Snape and I have to talk about what you did to Malfoy and Flint on the Quidditch pitch today."

Right… how could he forget about that. He sighed and followed Professor McGonagall into the castle.


	9. Surprise Guest

A/N: I know this took long, but I hope you enjoy it. I didn't know how to make some parts of this chapter, that's why it took so long. Please, don't forget to review!

Antonio and Professor McGonagall were walking down the stairs and through corridors towards the dungeons, were Snape was waiting in his office.

They reached Snape's office, and McGonagall knocked on the door, and they heard a voice say sharply, "Come in."

Professor Snape motioned for Antonio to sit down on the chair in front of his desk, McGonagall stood next to Severus' chair.

"Do you know why you're here, Mr. Fernández?" Snape asked, looking Antonio straight in the eye.

"Yes, Professor Snape" Antonio answered.

"Explain," Snape said simply.

"Well… the Gryffindor Quidditch team was about to start practising, when the Slytherin team came. Malfoy started insulting the Weasly's brooms and that they were poor. Then, he called Hermione a Mudblood," Antonio clenched his fists in anger. "So, I warned them to get out of my sight, but they didn't budge, so I punched Malfoy in the face, the captain tried punching me, so I punched him instead. I warned the rest of the Slytherins to get out of my sight, and they gladly did." Antonio finished simply.

Snape turned to McGonagall, "He's in your house. You decide his punishment."

"Yes… although I think Malfoy should get a small detention for using that language, and he's your student." McGonagall pointed out. "Now, about my student's punishment… I think he should get a detention and we will, of course, send your parents a letter," she said turning to Antonio.

"You mean Arthur?" Antonio asked. Snape and McGonagall seemed confused. "Well, since I don't have parents, he signed my Hogwarts letter. You'll send the letter to him?"

"If that's the case, then yes" McGonagall clarified. "But, not only will we send him a letter, but he will also come here so that we can talk about your behaviour, also about you being an animagus, since we need your guardian's permission since it's not in the school's curriculum." Antonio nodded. Arthur probably wouldn't even care, sure he would tell Antonio to not punch a student (especially if that student was English), but it's not like England was his parent, the closest thing to a parent he had were the Roman Empire (which was dead) and Portugal (which was his big brother), so he didn't need to worry!

"Is that all?" Antonio asked, a little bit surprised.

"Yes, although we have to warn you. You might have the best scores in your tests, but if you answer to violence again, we'll have to kick you out of the school," McGonagall said. Antonio raised an eyebrow but nodded.

Antonio knew that the Golden Trio would try to get answers from him. He couldn't just tell them that he was actually an adult and that's why he lived alone. He also couldn't tell them that he was Spain and that's why he worked for the King of Spain.

He entered the History of Magic classroom, and waited for the rest of the students to come. He was looking in his bag for parchment to write notes (even though he knew more than the teacher) about what Professor Bins would talk about this class, that he didn't notice Hermione, Harry and Ron sitting next to him.

"Hello, Antonio. How are you?" Ron said as though they hadn't just seen each other.

"Eh, good. What about you?" Antonio answered awkwardly.

"Great! I'm also good!" Okay, Ron was now being over dramatic.

Flashback

Hermione, Harry and Ron were walking up towards the castle. Hagrid had just told them about his pumpkins. When they got to the castle Professor McGonagall was waiting for them.

"There you are, Potter, Weasley." McGonagall said with a stern voice. "You will both do your detentions tomorrow evening."

"What are we doing, Professor?" Ron said, nervously suppressing a gulp.

" _You_ will be polishing the silver in the trophy room with Mr. Filch," said Professor McGonagall. "And no magic, Weasley- elbow grease."

"And you, Potter, will be helping Professor Lockhart answer his fan mail with Mr. Fernández, could you tell him for me?" said Professor McGonagall. Right, they almost forgot, Antonio punched Malfoy and Flint. The trio nodded at McGonagall's question.

Ron groaned and started saying how unfair it was that Harry and Antonio would be together and how much work Filch would make him do. Harry wasn't happy either, but at least he was with Antonio, so he didn't complain _as_ much. But they didn't have much more time to complain, because Hermione interrupted; not to tell them they deserved it, but there was another reason.

"What do you think Antonio meant when he said he worked for the King of Spain, or that he worked and lived alone?" She said, still shocked that a kid like herself could live on their own. What was more shocking, was that he worked (probably so that he could gain enough money to be able to live alone, but, still).

Harry and Ron shrugged, so she continued.

"I think we should ask him." Hermione said simply.

"Yeah, and there are more things I need to ask him," Harry said, thinking about that morning.

"What do you mean?" Hermione seemed interested.

"Well, when Wood woke me up to have Quidditch practice, I remembered Antonio wanted to see us practice, so I woke him up." Harry started.

"So?" Ron asked, confused.

"Well… I was _about_ to wake him up when he jumped at me, pinned me to the floor, and asked 'Who do you work for?! Oh! Sorry Harry! I thought you were trying to kill me or kidnap me!'" Harry repeated. "Those were his exact same words. I asked if that was normal for him, he said it happened once or twice a month!"

Hermione and Ron gaped.

"And that's not all," Harry started again. "He started changing, I watched him for a second, and his back was covered in scars, I asked him about it, but he ran before he answered my question!"

"W-where they whip scars? Like, from a belt? He could have been mistreated, maybe that's why he leaves alone now. Maybe he's scared that if other people adopt him, they would do the same whichever-person did that to him," Hermione tried puzzling the two together. What Hermione didn't know, was that those scars had been made by wars and other things, not mistreatment by parents.

They thought about it, until Ron spoke up.

"Did you guys see Antonio? After he left, I mean. We should ask him these questions," he said.

"He's probably already in class," Hermione said. "We should head there. Also, don't ask him immediately, try to take him by surprise. Ask random questions, and when he's not expecting it, attack. Be nice to him until you start the real questioning."

Harry and Ron nodded.

Present

"Ron, are you alright?" Antonio asked, actually concerned at how his friend was acting, although it could just be that Ron was a bad actor.

"I feel great!" Ron shouted. Hermione sent him a glare, and he shut up. He knew he was a bad actor, so being silent might be the best for them.

"Have you been waiting here all this time?" Hermione said with a kind smile.

"No, Professor McGonagall was waiting for me. We went to Snape's office and they told me that they would send my parents, in my case guardian, a letter and that he would come here." Antonio started explaining, scratching the back of his neck sheepishly. "Oh! And they told me I had a detention."

"Yeah, you're doing it with me. We're supposed to help Lockhart answer his fan mail," Harry said with a grudge. To make it simple, Harry hated Lockhart.

"At least we're doing it together!" Antonio said as cheerful as ever.

"Hey, Antonio, what can I call you? What I mean is, how can I make your name shorter, do you have a nickname?" Ron asked.

"Hhhmm…" Antonio said thoughtfully. "I know lots of people around the world, they each call me how they say my name in their language. In English, it would be Anthony, but don't call me that, I don't really like it… you can call me Tony!" He finished with the biggest smile they had seen planted on his face. "Some of my friends sometimes call me Tonio. But only Spanish people."

"Great, Tony!" Ron said with a big smile. Hermione didn't let Antonio go, though.

"Tell me more about these… friends of yours around the world. How many?" She asked curiously.

"Mmmhh…" Antonio thought about how he should say. "Let's just say that I know _at least_ one person from each country. I even know some micronations!"

"You mean people _from_ micronations?" Harry asked a little confused at this slip up. Antonio suddenly looked nervous, but managed to gain his composure.

"Y-yes, that's w-what I meant!" He said with a shaky smile.

"Which micronations?" Ron asked interestedly.

"Well, I know people from Sealand, Wy, Seborga, Kugelmugel, Ladonia, Hutt River, Molossia, and more!" He finished with a bright smile.

"Wow, how do you know so many people from so many different places?" Ron asked in wonder.

"I travel a lot because of work," Antonio started with a smile, but when he finished the sentence he clapped his hands to his mouth and said, more like shouted. "Forget I said that!"

He was lucky, because just after he said that, Professor Bins entered the classroom through the blackboard (he's a ghost).

"Today we're going to learn about the World Wars," Bins started with the lesson.

"But sir, isn't that muggle history?" Hermione asked curiously as she raised her hand.

"Yes, but wizards were forced to get involved because many had already died," Bins answered. "There were various countries which were neutral and did nothing in the war because they didn't want to take sides, for example Switzerland, Spain-"

"Spain did not participate on these wars, not because they didn't want to take sides, but because they were in a civil war!" Antonio interrupted, standing up. He then started talking about the world wars, and in what sides each country was, and why. When he finished, there were barely any minutes left of class, and Antonio had taught the class more than Bins had taught them in their first year.

"I must admit I'm quite impressed," Professor Bins said. "I've never seen such a young man know this much information and explain it so well!"

"Thank you, Professor Bins," Antonio said, blushing at the praise.

"Class dismissed," Bins finished.

Antonio stood up and left the classroom before the trio could ask him more questions that he couldn't answer, or at least not yet.

Their next class was with Professor Lockhart, so they went towards the DADA classroom.

Harry, Hermione and Ron were the last to enter the DADA classroom, so, once more, they didn't have time to ask Antonio any questions.

The DADA class had gotten rather boring lately. Lockhart would read passages from his books to them, and sometimes re-enacted some of the more dramatic bits. You would think it was fun… but it really wasn't.

Today's class was going smoothly, Lockhart was reading about how he banished a Banshee, when Antonio felt something. He knew what this was. He felt his whole-body ache, but his heart hurt the most. He felt his blood boil. He stood up abruptly and started going towards the door.

"I-I'm going to the bathroom," Antonio said, trying not to open his mouth. He gave a step but fell to his knees.

Everybody saw with horror as Antonio gave a shriek of pain and started to cough blood.

"Oh my goodness!" Shrieked Hermione, which was the closest to him.

Half of the class stood up and surrounded Antonio, which continued coughing up blood. He was now lying on his side, trying not to choke over his own blood.

"Professor Lockhart, we need to get him to the Hospital Wing!" Harry shouted towards Lockhart.

"N-no! You can't do th-" Antonio started talking, but was interrupted by another violent cough.

Hermione muttered a spell under her breath and Antonio's pale body from all the blood losing started floating over the ground, going in the direction of the door. Harry, Hermione, Ron and Lockhart followed Antonio's floating body.

"Guys, -cough, cough- I'm fine. There's nothing -cough- Madam Pomfrey can -cough- do!" Antonio said, a little frustrated by how they were acting. "It's just a -cough- minor attack."

"What do you mean?!" Hermione shrieked/shouted. "Is this normal to you?!"

"Yes! Well… -cough- sometimes this happens! It's normal -cough-!" Antonio shouted back.

"Antonio, shut up! We need to take you to the Hospital Wing!" Harry shouted.

They were rounding a corner and Antonio took advantage to grab the corner of the passageway.

"Why are you being so annoying!?" Ron said as he tried to make Antonio let go.

"You can't _make_ me go there!" Antonio argued. He let go as another cough came.

Less than ten seconds later, they were in the Hospital Wing. Hermione undid the spell and Antonio fell. He got up, once he did, he faced the door, took one step forward, but couldn't continue. His vision blurred, and he fainted. He was too tired, and blood loss did _not_ help.

He couldn't remember anything that passed during the thirty minutes he'd fainted, he only remembered hearing a few screams. He woke up to see he was in one of the Hospital Wing's bed. He looked to his right and found a few people there.

"Antonio!" Hermione shrieked as she leapt from her chair and hugged the Spaniard.

"Uuugh… my whole body aches…" Antonio muttered, he noticed he wasn't able to raise his arms to give her a hug as well. "Why… can't I move?" He said helplessly trying to move his arms.

"In a brief explanation, I injected you with a serum that makes your body think its sleep. You can't move it, so don't try," Madam Pomfrey explained.

"Esos terroristas b*st*rd*s atacando mi preciosa capital… (*Those terrorist b*st*rds attacking my capital…)" Antonio muttered with a murderous stare.

"What did you say?" Ron asked, confused.

"Nothing, nothing… I just hope that Arthur doesn't arrive while I'm here. He would probably laugh at the condition I'm in," Antonio sighed.

"What was all of that about, anyways?" Harry asked with a frown.

"Yes, we would all like to know about that," a soft voice said.

Antonio couldn't move his head, so he couldn't see who was talking, but he had an idea. "Wait, was that Professor Dumbledore? I can't move my head!"

The speaker moved so that he was in Antonio's view, and, indeed, it was Dumbledore. He couldn't deal with someone as smart as Dumbledore, so he thought of the best thing to say in that situation, "Arthur will explain," he said with a smile. Why could he move his facial features but not the rest of his body?

Dumbledore nodded, but the rest of the people in the room looked like they wanted to argue. Antonio sighed. "And expect that this won't be the last time you see this happen. Unfortunately," he grimaced.

To Antonio's surprise, they didn't ask any more questions, probably to ask them later.

"Now, everybody out! He needs to rest! I'm surprised he's alive after losing that much blood, and I'm more surprised that he's already awake!" Madam Pomfrey ushered all of them away, while they said their goodbyes.

Antonio slept for about an hour before waking up again. This time he could see the terrorists attack Madrid and his people, he could feel their pain and fear.

He could now move, although not as good as he usually would be able to. "Ah! You're awake!" Madam Pomfrey said from the other side of the room.

"Yes, I feel great. Could I leave now?" Antonio said, trying to put his biggest smile to prove his point. He turned the lower half of his body to the side of the bed, stood up after putting his shoes on and started stretching.

Pomfrey looked at him in shock and stuttered, "H-how are you standing? You should barely be able to move a little!"

"Sorry?" Antonio said, not knowing what else to say. He strode to the door and left before Madam Pomfrey could say otherwise. He ran through corridor to corridor, until he was in front of the doors of the Great Hall.

He opened the Great Hall's doors and was answered by silence. Everybody had quieted down when they saw the Great Hall's doors open up to reveal… Antonio.

Antonio rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly and put on a sheepish smile as Harry, Hermione, Ron and most of the second year Gryffindors along with some people started hugging him and asking him frantic questions which he couldn't hear. They hoisted him up and carried him to the Gryffindor table while Antonio shouted "W-what's going on?!"

"Come on, Antonio, you worried us when you started coughing up blood!" Seamus Finnigan shouted over everybody. Everybody stayed quiet and looked at Antonio expectantly.

Antonio rubbed the back of his neck again but didn't answer, instead sat down on the table and put food on his plate. Slowly, chatter erupted in the Great Hall again. The chatter didn't last long. From the Great Hall's doors came three loud knocks, "KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK"

The doors spun open and in the middle, was a short young man, with forest green eyes, much like Antonio's, and with messy blond hair. Suddenly the young man shouted at the top of his lungs with a strong British accent "Antonio Fernández Carriedo! You are in big trouble!"

Antonio stood up from his seat, which was pretty close to the doors and stuttered, "A-Arthur, I t-thought you didn't care w-what I did."

Suddenly, the young man, now revealed to be Arthur, had a big evil smile on his face as he said slowly, "I'm not the one who cares about you."

Antonio tried looking over Arthur's body, but was stopped by a sudden punch on the face. Standing between Arthur and Antonio was another young man. This young man looked like Antonio's twin, just older and with a ponytail.

"¿¡Pero tú estás loco?!" Antonio shouted at the young man.

The two started shouting at each other, Antonio in Spanish and the young man in some other language nobody except Arthur could understand. Until Arthur gave up.

"Antonio! João! Will both of you speak f*ck*ng English for once in your lives?!" Arthur shouted at Antonio and João.

"I thought you knew how to speak Spanish and Portuguese," Antonio said, swiftly changing in English.

"And I do! But not even I can understand what you are saying! I can't understand Spanish _and_ Portuguese at the same time!" Arthur defended himself.

"That's not our fault," João said in English, but continued shouting at Antonio in Portuguese.

Antonio shouted something in Spanish at João and ran away, out of the Great Hall. João quickly following. Arthur was left standing alone in front of the open doors.

Arthur sighed and looked towards Professor Dumbledore with an apologetic smile, "Sorry, Albus. Sometimes I can't control my… colleagues."

Dumbledore answered with a kind smile "Don't worry, Arthur." Dumbledore extended out a hand and said, "It's an honour having you here, Mr. Kirkland."

"My pleasure," Arthur answered with a smile. "I see that some things have changed around here." He said looking around with his hand on his chin.

"Yes. Would you like to accompany me for dinner?" Dumbledore asked kindly.

"Actually, I've already had dinner. Although I would like to know where I'm staying the night," Arthur said with a small smile.

Dumbledore started walking towards the teacher's table with Arthur next to him, the occupants of the Great Hall listening to their conversation.

"You will be staying in a free dormitory at Gryffindor tower with your… colleague, since the guestrooms aren't available right now," Dumbledore explained.

"Very well," Arthur said. "You made me come here not only for Antonio but because of other… reasons, didn't you?"

"Yes, I have." Dumbledore said while sitting down and making a chair appear out of thin air so that Arthur could sit in it.

Arthur sighed. "Does it have to do with politics and the Queen?" He asked, also sitting down.

"Somewhat, yes. I would like you to deliver a message," Dumbledore said. The occupants of the Great Hall listening in shock.

"I'm not an owl, you know," Arthur said with a sigh.

"I'm aware that you are not an owl, yes." Dumbledore said with a small laugh.

Arthur looked around at the students and said loud enough so everyone could hear, "Mind your own business."

Some students jumped and put their attention back to their food, some students tried to continue hearing Arthur's conversation with Dumbledore, and some students went back to chatting and whispering about the new arrivals.

(*I'm doing this part in English, although Antonio will be speaking Spanish and João Portuguese)

Antonio ran and ran until he got to Gryffindor tower, he told the Fat Lady the password and entered. João following him before the portrait closed.

"Why the h*ll did you punch me?!" Antonio shouted towards João.

"Why I punched you?! Do you know how worried we were?!" João shouted back.

"Nobody cares about me anyways! All my colonies left me! They try to act as though we're still a family, but I know they don't love me as much as I love them! And it's painful!" Antonio shouted, tears running down his cheeks. "I don't have any family, and I don't have any friends! Everybody hates me!"

"T-that's not true…" João whispered, taking a few steps towards Antonio. He didn't expect the conversation to go in that direction.

"Of course it's true!" Antonio sobbed, sitting in a nearby couch.

"Antonio, if you don't shut up and stop lying I'll have to punch you again! You have me, you have your colonies, even if they are independent now! You have Romano even if he insults you all the time, he does that to everyone! And what about Belgium and Netherlands! All of them are your friends and family!" João exclaimed.

"That's not true! The only family I've got left is you! And I don't have any friends!" Antonio sobbed.

João had had enough, Antonio was one of the most loved nations, if _he_ didn't have any friends or family, nobody did. Just like he promised he slapped Antonio across the face, "Did you not here what I just said?!" João screamed.

Antonio continued crying silently on the couch. João went up to Antonio and sat next to him, pulling Antonio into a hug.

"Spain, I've known you for longer than most, and I've seen you evolve. In the past, you might have had enemies, but now, you have friends and family." João whispered

They stayed on the couch, hugging each other until Antonio fell asleep.

João was taking a few hairs out of Antonio's face when the portrait hole sprung open. From there, came Professor McGonagall, with students behind her. João put a finger to his lips and motioned towards Antonio. McGonagall smiled, and closed the portrait hole behind her.

Outside the portrait hole

Professor McGonagall came out of the portrait hole before Harry, Hermione and Ron could enter.

"Now, everybody be quiet and respectful to our… visitor and student, who is sleep. Everybody please be quiet as you go to your respective rooms," McGonagall said over everybody's voices.

When Harry, Hermione and Ron entered, they saw Antonio asleep, curled up into a ball on the couch, in João's arms. They crept silently at sat down on the couch in front of the two brothers, while the other Gryffindors looked at the brothers while they entered their rooms.

Professor McGoagall approached João with Arthur trailing behind her and said, "You'll be staying in the boy's room, it's the last door."

McGonagall left, but Arthur sat down besides Ron which was next to Harry, which was next to Hermione, which was in front of Antonio, which was next to João.

"Mmmhh… sorry, but, who are you?" João asked the trio of Gryffindors with a strong accent, very much like his brother's.

"Oh! Sorry, we're Hermione Granger, Ronald Weasly and Harry Potter," Hermione introduced them.

"I think I've heard that name before…" João said thoughtfully.

Arthur laughed, "Of course you know who Mr. Potter is, he's the one who defeated Voldemort."

Hermione and Harry were surprised Arthur said the name and Ron was scared.

"Ah, yes. Now I remember," João said bitterly, but changed his voice to a cheerful one, "I'm João Henrique Lisboa-Carriedo."

"And I'm Arthur Kirkland," Arthur said, even though the trio already knew his name.

"How do you know the Queen?" Hermione said suddenly.

Arthur raised his eyebrow but laughed a little, "Sorry, classified."

Hermione furrowed her eyebrows and asked, "How does Tony know the King of Spain?"

"Also classified," Arthur said with finality.

"You call him Tony?" João asked with a raised eyebrow.

"We shouldn't?" Ron asked.

"No, no. It's just he didn't let Arthur call him Anthony, so I didn't think he would let you call him Tony," João explained.

"He told us he didn't really like the name Anthony," Harry said. João nodded.

"So you're Tonio's friends?" João asked.

"Yes, we're his closest friends, but he's friends with basically everybody except for Slytherins. When he attacked Malfoy all the Slytherins stayed away," Ron fished with a smirk.

"Then I need to plant a few rules," João said. One of Arthur's eyebrows shot up. "First rule: do not talk about family or friends outside of Hogwarts. Second rule: don't harm him emotionally nor physically. Third rule: don't break any of my rules, or you _will_ regret it."

João looked at them with an expectant smile. "Well, do you accept?"

The trio nodded, and Arthur couldn't help but smile. Harry, Hermione and Ron went to bed and Arthur to unpack, while João fell asleep with Antonio in his arms.

Antonio woke up in a familiar place, but it wasn't the room he shared with the other second year Gryffindor boy, but instead it was the common room. Arthur was shaking him, when he realised Antonio was awake, he started shaking João. João stirred, signalling he was awake.

"Come on, Tonio. You're late to Transfiguration!" Arthur scolded at Antonio.

That made both Antonio and João stand up from the couch.

"I need to go get my bag," Antonio said, turning to the staircase on the left, but quickly sticking his head out again. "Hey, Arthur. What happened to Francis and Gilbert?"

"What do you mean?" Arthur asked, confused.

At Arthur's house

"Kesesesesesesesesese"

"Angleterre!"


	10. DADA teacher and a hissing noise

A/N: I would like to thank: EnderSorceress, Jack, Guest, Sacha933, JACK, The Princess of Winter-Luna, Izzy'sFANDOMS, Natileroxs and jack for all the support you've been giving me. Please continue leaving your Reviews, they're the best! :)

Antonio briefly explained to Arthur and João about why Francis and Gilbert would be in Arthur's house, and before Arthur could kill him, he grabbed his bag, took João's wrist and ran to Transfiguration.

Antonio knocked three times on the door before pushing it open. Everyone turned their attention on Antonio.

"Lo siento. I slept in," Antonio said sheepishly. McGonagall, instead of shouting at him for his lateness, she smiled; kind of.

"I'm aware," Professor McGonagall started, still with her small smile, but her face contorted into confusion as she asked, "Why is your brother here?"

"How did you know we were brothers? I don't think I told anyone about it…" Antonio said thoughtfully.

Dean Thomas snorted, "You guys look identical! Although one is older and has a ponytail," he said.

Antonio and João looked at themselves than at each other and burst out laughing. "So that's why people think I'm you!" Antonio said, still laughing.

"And why people think I'm you!" João said, also still laughing.

"But it's obvious who is who, there are quite a few years between your ages," Hermione started. "Who would be so stupid to confuse the both of you?"

They looked at each other and started listing names such as Alfred, Im Yong Soo, etc.

"Well, that doesn't matter," Antonio said with a wave of his hand. "Introduce yourself, hermano."

"Sim, sim. My name is João Henrique Lisboa-Carriedo, I'm Tonio's brother," João said.

"Sorry, but I couldn't help to notice that your surnames are different except 'Carriedo'," Hermione asked.

Antonio and João scratched the back of their necks while looking down at the same time, making them look like actual twins.

"Sorry, but that's personal _and_ classified," Antonio started.

"We asked Arthur a few questions and his answer was also classified," Harry noticed.

João shrugged. "The questions you were asking were more classified than this."

"You still haven't explained what Mr. Lisb- I mean, Mr. Henrique is doing in my classroom," Professor McGonagall interrupted, obviously wanting to continue her class.

"Oh, I asked Dumbledore if I could watch my irmão's classes, to see how much they've changed," João explained.

McGonagall nodded and said, "I need to talk to you about Mr. Fernández."

João raised an eyebrow, looked towards Antonio, who was smiling, and nodded.

"You see, he is very advanced, he knows how to complete all the spells we've learned so far, so I suggested for him to become an animagus, the only thing stopping him is that we need his guardian's permission, both Arthur and you count as his guardian," Professor McGonagall explained.

"Why would I say no?" João said while ruffling Antonio's hair.

McGonagall nodded, went up to her desk, picked up s big stack of books and put them on Antonio's arms. Antonio didn't even flinch at the extra weight of the books.

"You'll need to read this books about transforming into an animagus," Professor McGonagall explained.

Antonio nodded, sat down next to Hermione and started reading. João followed Antonio and sat down next to him.

The class continued without interruptions, and soon it was the end of class.

"What class do we have next?" Ron asked to no one in particular.

"We have class with Glinda the sparkly wizard," Harry and Antonio said together.

João laughed harder than Ron, since it was his first time hearing the joke.

"Does she look like Glinda from 'The Wizard of Oz'?" João guessed.

"Si, but he's a boy," Antonio explained in between laughs. "He's almost as narcissistic as Gilbert!"

"No way!" João said, still laughing.

Hermione stayed quiet all the way to the DADA classroom.

Once everyone was seated, Lockhart entered the classroom.

"Good morning!" He roared with a smile planted on his face, although it faltered a little when he saw João. "And what are _you_ doing here?"

João sighed and said, "Dumbledore said I could watch my irmão's (*brother's) classes."

Lockhart didn't even take another glance at João as he started his class, which was only about him reading his books. João was starting to like this guy less by the second. They were halfway into the class when his patience had finally gone.

He stood up -which Lockhart ignored-, grabbed the scruff of Lockhart's robe -which Lockhart didn't ignore- and muttered, "If you're going to teach them defence against the dark arts, do it already. If you're not, then sit down."

Lockhart looked very scared and didn't even defend himself, he just sat down on the chair behind his desk.

"Good boy," João said with a smirk. "Now, why don't you learn to actually defend yourselves?"

There were cheers from every student except one; Hermione. She raised her hand and didn't wait for João to let her talk before she protested, "Do you even have a teaching degree?"

João couldn't help but smile, while Antonio started laughing. "Of course I do!" João exclaimed.

"What's so funny?" Hermione directed her question at Antonio.

"Classified," Antonio said in between laughs. He couldn't tell her that most nations had practically every degree one could have, since they had lived for so long.

"You really like that word, don't you?" Harry asked.

"It's not like I like it, but you ask me the wrong questions if you want me to not answer with 'classified'."

"Ok, everybody, silêncio (*silence)," João said. "I guess I'll teach you a few spells, since I didn't plan to be your DADA teacher today."

There were more cheers after this.

"About how many spells can you learn in one class?" João asked the class.

Most of the class, either stayed silent or said 'one'. João frowned and cupped his right hand under his chin.

"Well, that's no good," he started. "Tonio, since you already know more spells than I do, could you write a few simple ones on the board and what they do?"

Antonio nodded, went up to the blackboard and retreated to his chair after a few minutes.

João clapped his hands once to get the class' attention, and motioned to the blackboard as he said, "Find a partner, choose a spell, go into a group with the same people which have chosen the same spell as you."

The class did as they were told immediately, even a grumpy Hermione. Harry and Ron paired up together, while Hermione ended up with Neville, she would have gone with Antonio but João wanted him to help teach the class, since Antonio already knew all the spells and would have been in an advantage. Harry, Hermione, Ron and Neville had chosen the shield spell, Protego, instead of an attacking spell.

The other group which wanted to learn the Protego spell were Lavender Brown and Parvati Patil, so in total they were three groups.

Since there were four different spells, Antonio taught two spells, while João taught another two spells. Antonio taught the shield spell and the stunning spell.

Every time Antonio went near the girls and corrected them they would giggle and make more mistakes, he couldn't understand girls sometimes, so he decided to ask the only girl which didn't act that way, Hermione.

"Hey, Hermione," Antonio whispered as Hermione tried to cast a magic shield.

"Yes, Tony? Am I doing anything wrong?" She asked.

"No, no. It's just… why do the other girls act like that when I come close to them?" Antonio asked innocently.

"You're really oblivious sometimes," Hermione said with a sigh. "It's because most of girls like you, you're kind, handsome, intelligent, talented…" She suddenly stopped, blushed and returned to trying to make a shield.

Antonio sighed, he was confused as how the girls liked him, and why they acted that way, but he continued to teach the class.

At the end of class, Lockhart had already gone -probably to his room- and most of the class had learned a new spell.

"Well, I hope you like this class and that you've learned a new spell," João said with a smile. "No homework for the people who've managed to completely learn their designated spell, for the people who haven't managed to learn it, your homework is to try and finish learning it. Tchau! (*Bye!)"

Most of the class stood up and went towards the exit to go to the Great Hall for Lunch, while Harry, Hermione, Ron and Antonio packed their things.

"You _really_ need a new wand," Antonio said looking at Ron.

"Yeah, right, and get another Howler…" Ron said grudgingly.

Antonio thought about it and exclaimed, "I can buy you a new one!"

"W-wait. Really?" Ron asked, shocked but looking hopefully at his 'saviour'.

Antonio nodded with a big smile, and Ron hugged him.

"Thank you so much mate!" Ron said while hugging the Spaniard.

"No problem," Antonio said.

They left the classroom soon after that for lunch. João, unlike Arthur, ate in the Gryffindor table. Arthur sat with the other teachers.

João poked his food. He still wasn't used to the British food; he didn't really like it, but it was eatable, not like England's cooking…

Professor McGonagall had told Arthur and João they would have their 'meeting' that afternoon, Antonio's detention with Harry and Lockhart would be shortly after.

That fateful afternoon came a few hours later, and Arthur and João sat on chairs in McGonagall's office.

"So, what happened, exactly?" Arthur asked. Yes, he knew Antonio had punched a pair of kids, but that's all he knew.

"Mr. Malfoy called Miss Granger a mudblood, Antonio got angry, punched Mr. Malfoy and Mr. Flint, and threatened the rest of the Slytherin Quidditch team," Professor McGonagall said.

Arthur nodded, if anyone insulted one of his friends or anyone for that matter, he would get angry; of course, only if they mean harm with their words, not like Lovino which was always throwing insults at everybody, but he normally didn't mean them.

"Is this Mr. Malfoy also getting punishment for his language?" João asked McGonagall.

"Yes, he is," she answered.

The rest of the meeting was pretty boring, it was only about Professor McGonagall talking about how Antonio was doing great on his classes and talking about Antonio becoming an animagus, and stuff like that. She also warned them that violence wasn't accepted at Hogwarts and yadee yadee ya.

'~=~'

It was eight o'clock sharp when Antonio and Harry got to Lockhart's office. Harry gritted his teeth and knocked on the door.

The door flew open at once. Lockhart beamed down at them.

"Ah, hello!" He said. "Come in, Harry, Antonio, come in."

Shining brightly on the walls by the light of many candles were countless framed photographs of Lockhart. He had even signed a few of them. Another large pile lay on his desk.

"You can address the envelopes!" Lockhart told them, as though this was a huge treat. "This first one's to Gladys Gudgeon, bless her- huge fan of mine."

The minutes snailed by. The candles burned lower and lower, making the light dance over the many moving faces of Lockhart watching him. It must be nearly time to leave, Antonio thought, while Harry thought, please let it be nearly time…

And then, both Harry and Antonio heard something- something quite apart from the spitting of the dying candles and Lockhart's prattle about his fans.

Antonio heard a hissing whisper that chilled him to the bone; but Harry heard a voice, a voice of breath-taking, ice-cold venom.

 _"_ _Come_ _…_ _come to me_ _…_ _let me rip you_ _…_ _let me tear you_ _…_ _let me kill you_ _…"_

" _What?_ " he said loudly.

"I know!" said Lockhart. "Six solid months at the top of the bestseller list! Broke all records!"

"No," Harry said frantically. "That voice!"

"What voice?" Lockhart and Antonio asked at the same time.

Yeah, sure, Antonio had heard _something_ but it definitely wasn't a voice.

"That- that voice that said- didn't you hear it?" Harry asked with wide eyes.

Lockhart was looking at Harry with high astonishment.

"What are you talking about, Harry? Perhaps you're getting a little drowsy? Great Scott- look at the time! We've been here nearly four hours! I'd never have believed it- the time's flown, hasn't it?"

Harry didn't answer. He was straining his ears to hear the voice again, but there was no sound there except for Lockhart telling Antonio and him they mustn't expect a treat like this every time they got detention. Soon, Harry and Antonio left.

It was so late that the Gryffindor common room was almost empty. They went straight up to the dormitory. Ron wasn't back yet. Harry pulled on his pyjamas, got into bed and waited. Antonio pulled the curtains of his four-poster bed every time he had to change ever since Harry had seen his scars.

Half an hour later, Ron arrived, nursing his right arm and bringing a strong smell of polish into the darkened room.

"My muscles have all seized up," he groaned, sinking on his bed. "Fourteen times he made me buff up that Quidditch cup before he was satisfied. And then I had another slug attack all over a Special Award for Services to the School. Took ages to take the slime off… How was it with Lockhart?"

Keeping his voice low so as not to wake Neville, Dean and Seamus, Harry told Ron exactly what he had heard. Antonio tried to make himself invisible as he listened.

"And Lockhart said he couldn't hear it?" Ron asked. Harry nodded. "Could you hear the voice, Tony?"

Antonio shook his head from his bed. It was true, he hadn't heard any voice, he heard a hissing sound, so he technically wasn't lying.

With that, they crawled under each of their bed's covers and fell asleep.

A/N: I hope you didn't think this was a short chapter or a filler, since it's not, and you like ya!


	11. The Deathday Party

**A/N: Sorry for not uploading earlier! I know it's been 2 months, and that's a lot, and I'm truly sorry. On a brighter note, I finished school yesterday so I'll have more time to write. Yay!**

October arrived, spreading a damp chill over the grounds and into the castle. Madam Pomfrey, the nurse, was kept busy by a sudden spate of colds among the staff and students. Her Pepperup potion worked instantly, though it left the drinker smoking at the ears for several hours afterward. Ginny Weasly, who had been looking pale, was bullied into taking some by Percy. The steam pouring from under the vivid hair gave the impression that her whole head was on fire. And, Harry, Hermione and Ron discovered that Antonio got a cold quite easily. Antonio's excuse was: 'in Spain it's not that cold, and it doesn't rain this much either'. Raindrops the size of bullets thundered on the castle windows for days on end; the lake rose, the flower beds turned into muddy streams, and Hagrid's pumpkins swelled to the size of garden sheds.

It had already been a week since João and Arthur had left, and school was beginning to be boring again.

Antonio, Hermione and Ron were in the common room doing a nasty Potion's essay Snape had given them for homework when Harry got there. He was drenched in mud and rain, so he just made a quick wave on their direction before going into the boys' room to change into something more dry and clean.

He came back to the common room moments later.

"How was training?" Antonio asked with his usual big smile.

"Tiring," Harry groaned as he pulled out his own Potion's essay. "I met Nearly Headless Nick and Filch while coming here."

Hermione, Antonio and Ron paid attention to Harry as he retold his journey from Quidditch training.

"A deathday party?" Hermione said keenly. "I bet there aren't many living people who can say they've been to one of those – it'll be fascinating!"

"Why would anyone want to celebrate the day they died?" Ron said, who was in a grumpy mood because of the Potions essay he was working on. "Sounds dead depressing to me…"

"Well, you don't die every day, do you?" Antonio remarked, answering Ron's question.

"Yeah, I guess… but it's still not the same," Ron muttered.

Rain was still lashing the windows, but inside all looked bright and cheerful. The firelight glowed over the countless squashy armchairs where people sat reading, talking, doing homework, or in the case of Fred and George Weasly, trying to find out what happens when you feed a firework to a salamander. Fred had "rescued" the brilliant orange, fire-dwelling lizard from a are of Magical Creatures class and it was now smouldering gently on a table surrounded by a knot od curious people. Harry was at the point of telling Antonio, Hermione and Ron about Filch and the Kwikspell course when the salamander suddenly whizzed into the air, emitting loud sparks and bangs as it whirled wildly round the room. The sight of Percy bellowing himself hoarse at Fred and George, the spectacular display of tangerine stars showering from the salamander's mouth, and its scape into the fire, with accompanying explosions, drove both Filch and the Kwikspell envelope from Harry's mind.

By the time Halloween arrived, Harry was regretting his rash promise to go to the deathday party. The rest of the school was happily anticipating their Halloween feast; the Great Hall had been decorated with the usual live bats, Hagrid's vast pumpkins had been carved into lanterns large enough for three men to sit in, and there were rumours that Dumbledore had booked a troupe of dancing skeletons for the entertainment.

"A promise is a promise," Hermione reminded Harry bossily. "You said you'd go to the deathday party."

So at seven o'clock, Harry, Hermione, Antonio and Ron walked straight past the doorway to the packed Great Hall, which was glittering invitingly with gold plates and candles, and directed their steps instead toward the dungeons.

"Ugh… It smelled so good…" Antonio groaned while climbing down the stairs.

The others continued, silently agreeing with him.

The passageway leading to Nearly Headless Nick's party had been lined with candles, too, though the effect was far from cheerful: These were long, thin, jet-black tapers, all burning bright blue, casting a dim, ghostly light even over their own living faces. The temperature dropped with every step they took. As Harry shivered and drew his robes tightly around him, he heard what sounded like a thousand fingernails scraping an enormous blackboard.

"Is that supposed to be music?" Ron whispered. They turned a corner and saw Nearly Headless Nick standing at a doorway hung with black velvet drapes.

"My dear friends," he said mournfully. "Welcome, welcome… so pleased you could come…"

He swept off his plumed hat and bowed them inside.

It was an incredible sight. The dungeon was full of hundreds of pearly-white, translucent people, mostly drifting around a crowded dance floor, waltzing to the dreadful, quavering sound of thirty musical saws, played by an orchestra on a raised, black-draped platform. A chandelier overhead blazed midnight-blue with a thousand more black candles. Their breath rose in a mist before them; it was like stepping into a freezer.

"Shall we have a look around?" Harry suggested, wanting to warm up his feet.

"Careful not to walk through anyone," said Ron nervously, and they set off around the edge of the dance floor. They passed a group of gloomy nuns, a ragged man wearing chains, and the Fat Friar, a cheerful Hufflepuff ghost, who was talking to a knight with an arrow sticking out of his forehead. Harry wasn't surprised to see that the Bloody Baron, a gaunt, staring Slytherin ghost covered in silver bloodstains, was being given a wide berth by the other ghosts.

Suddenly, a ghost approached them, looked at each of them cautiously, and stopped at Antonio.

"Do I know you?" The ghost asked.

Antonio looked to be nervous. He knew this ghost, but that was when the ghost was still alive a few hundred years ago and when Antonio didn't look like… a kid.

"No. I don't think so," Antonio answered respectfully.

The ghost eyed him up and down. "You look a lot like one of my old friends, but younger." His face suddenly sported a smile as he said, "you must be his great-great-great-great-great-great-grandson!"

The ghost and Antonio shook hands while Antonio muttered "Sure…"

"Well it was nice to meet you, but I have a friend waiting for me. Goodbye!" The ghost said cheerfully.

"Adios!" Antonio answered.

Harry, Hermione and Ron, who had been quiet while the ghost and their friend talked, sent questioning glances towards Antonio. Antonio was oblivious as always, so he ignored them.

They continued walking while trying to dodge all the ghosts. It was quite a nasty feeling to go through a ghost.

"Oh, no," said Hermione, stopping abruptly. "Turn back, turn back, I don't want to talk to Moaning Myrtle-"

"Who?" said Harry as they backtracked quickly.

"She haunts one of the toilets in the girls' bathroom on the first floor," said Hermione.

"She haunts a toilet?"

"Yes. It's been out-of-order all year because she keeps having tantrums and flooding the place. I never went in there anyway if I could avoid it; it's awful trying to have a pee with her wailing at you-"

"Look, food!" Ron exclaimed.

On the other side of the dungeon was a long table, also covered in black velvet. They approached it eagerly but the next they stopped in their tracks, horrified. The smell was quite disgusting. Large, rotten fish were laid on handsome silver platters; cakes, burned charcoal-black, were heaped on salvers; there was a great maggoty haggis, a slab of cheeses covered in furry green mold.

"This looks like the kind of food that Arthur would make, but better," Antonio said with a small smirk.

In pride of place, an enormous grey cake in the shape of a tombstone, with tar-like icing forming the words,

 **SIR NICHOLAS DE MIMSY-PORPINGTON**

 **DIED 31** **ST** **OCTOBER 1492**

"A great year for Spain, that one," Antonio muttered so no one could hear while he smiled a little; although the smell of the rotting food quickly took off his smile.

Harry watched, amazed, as a portly ghost approached the table, crouched low, and walked through it his mouth held wide so that it passed through one of the stinking salmon.

"Can you taste it if you walk through it?" Harry asked him.

"Almost, said the ghost sadly, and he drifted way.

"I expect they've let it rot to give it a stronger flavour," said Hermione knowledgeably, pinching her nose and leaning closer to look at the putrid haggis.

"Can we move? I feel sick," Ron said.

They had barely turned around, however, when a little man swooped suddenly from under the table and came to a halt in mid-air before them.

"Hello, Peeves," Harry said cautiously.

Unlike the ghosts around them, Peeves the Poltergeist was the very reverse of pale and transparent. He was wearing a bright orange party hat, a revolving bow tie, and a broad grin on his wide, wicked face,

"Nibbles?" he said sweetly, offering them a bowl of peanuts covered in fungus.

"No thanks," Hermione said.

"Heard you talking about poor Myrtle," said Peeves, his eyes dancing. "Rude you was about poor Myrtle." He took a deep breath and bellowed, "OY, MYRTLE!"

"Oh, no, Peeves, don't tell her what I said, she'll be really upset," Hermione whispered frantically. "I didn't mean it, I don't mind her- er, hello, Myrtle."

The squat ghost of a girl had glided over. She had the glummest face, half-hidden behind lank hair and thick, pearly spectacles.

"What?" She asked sulkily.

"How are you, Myrtle?" Hermione asked in a falsely bright voice. "It's nice to see you out of the toilet."

Myrtle sniffed.

"Miss granger was just talking about you-" Peeves said slyly in Myrtle's ear. "Just saying-"

"Just saying- saying- how nice you look tonight," said Hermione, glaring at Peeves.

Myrtle eyed Hermione suspiciously.

"You're making fun of me," she said, silver tears welling rapidly in her small, see-through eyes.

"No- honestly- didn't I just say how nice Myrtle's looking?" Hermione said, nudging Antonio, Harry and Ron painfully in the ribs.

"Oh, yeah-"

"She did-"

Antoni just looked confusedly at Hermione.

"Don't lie to me," Myrtle gasped, tears now flooding down her face, while Peeves chuckled happily over her shoulder. "D'you think I don't know what people call me behind my back? Fat Myrtle! Ugly Myrtle! Miserable, moaning moping Myrtle!"

"You've forgotten pimply," peeves hissed in her ear.

Moaning Myrtle burst into anguished sobs and fled from the dungeon. Peeves shot after her, pelting her with moldy peanuts, yelling, "Pimply! Pimply!"

"Oh, dear," Hermione said sadly.

Nearly Headless Nick drifted toward them through the crowd.

"Enjoying yourselves?"

"Oh, yes," they lied.

"Not a bad turnout," said Nearly Headless Nick proudly. "The Wailing Widow came all the way up from Kent… It's nearly time for my speech, I'd better go and warn the orchestra…"

The orchestra, however, stopped playing at that very moment. They, and everyone else in the dungeon, fell silent, looking around in excitement, as a hunting horn sounded.

"Oh, here we go," said Nearly Headless Nick bitterly.

Through the dungeon wall burst a dozen ghost horses, each ridden by a headless horseman. The assembly clapped wildly; Harry, Antonio, Hermione and started to clap, too, but stopped quickly at the sight of Nick's face.

The horses galloped into the middle of the dance floor and halted, rearing and plunging. At the front of the pack was a large ghost who held his bearded head under his arm, from which position he was blowing the horn. The ghost leapt down, lifted his head high in the air so he could see over the crowd (everyone laughed), and strode over to Nearly Headless Nick, squashing his head back onto his neck.

"Nick!" he roared. "How are you? Head still hanging in there?"

He gave a hearty guffaw and clapped Headless Nick on the shoulder.

"Welcome, Patrick," said Nick stiffly.

"Live uns!" said Sir Patrick, spotting Antonio, Harry, Hermione and Ron and giving a huge, fake jump of astonishment, so that his head fell off again (the crowd howled with laughter).

"Very amusing," said Nearly Headless Nick darkly.

"Don't mind Nick!" shouted Sit Patrick's head form the floor. "Still upset we won't let him join the Hunt! But I mean to say -look at the fellow-"

"I think," said Harry hurriedly, at a meaningful look from Nick, "Nick's very -frightening and- er-"

"Ha!" yelled Sir Patrick's head.

"Bet he asked you to say that!"

If I could have everyone's attention, it's time for my speech!" said Nearly Headless Nick loudly, striding toward the podium and climbing into an icy blue spotlight.

"My late lamented lords, ladies, and gentlemen, it is my great sorrow…"

But nobody heard much more. Sir Patrick and the rest of the Hunt had just started a game of Head Hockey and the crowd were turning to watch. Nearly Headless Nick tried vainly to recapture his audience, but gave up as Sir Patrick's head went sailing past him to loud cheers.

"I can't stand much more of this," Ron muttered, his teeth chattering, as the orchestra ground back into action and the ghosts swept back onto the dance floor.

"Let's go," Harry agreed.

Meanwhile Antonio was shaking and chattering his teeth the worst, because, as he said, 'at Spain it isn't this cold'.

They backed toward the door, nodding and beaming at anyone who looked at them, and a minute later were hurrying back up the passageway full of black candles.

"Pudding might not be finished yet," said Ron hopefully leading the way towards the steps to the entrance hall.

And then Harry heard it.

"… rip… tear… kill…"

It was the same voice, the same cold, murderous voice he had heard in Lockhart's office.

He stumbled to a halt, clutching at the stone wall, listening with all his might, looking around, squinting up and down the dimly lit passageway.

"Harry, what're you-?" Hermione started.

"It's that voice again -shut up a minute-"

"… soo hungry… for so long…"

"Listen!" said Harry urgently, and Ron and Hermione froze, watching him, while Antonio did as Harry was doing.

"… kill… time to kill…"

The voice was growing fainter. Harry was sure it was moving away- moving upward. A mixture of fear and excitement gripped Harry as he stared at the dark ceiling; how could it be moving upward? Was it a phantom, to whom stone ceilings didn't matter?

"This way," he shouted, and he began to run, up the stairs, into the entrance hall. It was no good hoping to hear anything here, the babble of talk from the Halloween feast was echoing out of the Great Hall. Harry sprinted up the marble staircase to the first floor, Hermione, Antonio and Ron clattering behind him.

"Harry what're we-"

"SHH!"

Harry strained his ears. Distantly, from the floor above, and growing fainter still, he heard the voice: "… I smell blood… I SMELL BLOOD!"

His stomach lurched-

"It's going to kill someone!" he shouted, and ignoring Tonio's, Ron's and Hermione's bewildered faces, he ran up the next flight of steps three at a time, trying to listen over his own pounding footsteps- Harry hurtled around the whole of the second floor, Antonio, Hermione and Ron panting behind him, not stopping until they turned a corner into the last, deserted passage.

Harry, what was that all about?" Ron asked, wiping sweat off his face. "I couldn't hear anything…"

But Hermione gave a sudden gasp, pointing down the corridor.

"Look!"

Something was shining on the wall ahead. They approached slowly, squinting through the darkness. Foot-high words had been daubed on the wall between two windows, shimmering in the light cast by the flaming torches.

THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS HAS BEEN OPENED. ENEMIES OF THE HEIR, BEWARE.

"What's that thing- hanging underneath?" Ron asked, a slight quiver in his voice.

As they edged nearer, they almost slipped- there was a large puddle of water on the floor. They inched toward the message, eyes fixed on a dark shadow beneath it.

"Mrs. Norris…" Antonio whispered with wide eyes.

Hermione, Harry and Ron leapt backward with a splash.

Mrs. Norris, the caretaker's cat, was hanging by her tail from the torch bracket. She was stiff as a board, her eyes wide and staring.

For a few seconds, they didn't move. The Ron said, "Let's get out of here."

"Shouldn't we try and help-" Harry began awkwardly.

"Trust me," Ron said. "We don't want to be found here"

But it was too late. A rumble, as though of distant thunder, told them that the feast had just ended. From either end of the corridor where they stood came the sound of hundreds of feet climbing the stairs, and the loud, happy talk of well-fed people; next moment, students were crashing into the passage from both ends.

The chatter, the bustle, the noise died suddenly as the people in font spotted the hanging cat. Antonio, Harry, Hermione and Ron stood alone, in the middle of the corridor, as silence fell among the mass of students pressing forward to see the grisly sight.

Then someone shouted through the quiet.

"Enemies of the Heir, beware! You'll be next, mudbloods!"

It was Draco Malfoy. He had pushed to the front of the crowd, his cold eyes alive, his usually bloodless face flushed, as he grinned at the sight of the hanging, immobile cat.

"What's going on here? What's going on?"

Attracted no doubt by Malfoy's shout, Argus Filch came shouldering his way through the crowd. Then he saw Mrs. Norris and fell back, clutching his face in horror.

"My cat! My cat! What's happened to Mrs. Norris?" He shrieked. And his popping eyes fell on Antonio, who was still standing next to Mrs. Norris.

"You!" he screeched. "You! You've murdered my cat! You've killed her! I'll kill you! I'll-"

"Argus!"

Dumbledore had arrived on the scene, followed by a few other teachers. In seconds, he had swept past Harry, Hermione, Ron and Antonio and detached Mrs. Norris from the torch bracket.

"Come with me, Argus," he said to Filch. "You too, Mr. Fernández, Mr. Potter, Miss Granger and Mr. Weasly."

Lockhart stepped forward eagerly.

"My office is nearest, Headmaster -just upstairs- please feel free-"

"Thank you, Gilderoy," Dumbledore said.

The silent crowd parted to let them pass. Lockhart, looking excited and important, hurried after Dumbledore; so did Professor McGonagall and Snape.

 **A/N: I hope you liked this chapter and the turn of events, and let's not forget that mini cliffhanger! Please review, favorite and follow. Until next time!**


	12. The Girl's Bathroom

**A/N: I know it took a month (exactly a month, in fact), but I have a reason. Each time I tried to write this chapter, it got deleted. This happened two-three times, I'm not even sure wether if it was two or three times... ugh. But, at least I finished it :)**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Hetalia nor Harry Potter. Most of the writting belongs to J. K. Rowling, I just adjusted it to fit my story, this takes place in most of my latest chapters.**

As they entered Lockhart's darkened office there was a flurry of movement across the walls; There were several of the Lockharts in the pictures dodging out of sight, their hair in rollers. The real Lockhart lit the candles on his desk and stood back. Dumbledore lay Mrs. Norris on the polished surface and began to examine her. Harry, Ron, and Hermione exchanged tense looks and sank into chairs outside the pool of candlelight, watching, while Antonio just laughed silently at the Lockharts trying to hide from view.

The tip of Dumbledore's long, crooked nose was barely an inch from Mrs. Norris's fur. He was looking at her closely through his half-moon spectacles, his long fingers gently prodding and poking. Professor McGonagall was bent almost as close, her eyes narrowed. Snape loomed behind them, half in shadow, wearing a most peculiar expression: It was as though he was trying hard not to smile. And Lockhart was hovering around all of them, making suggestions.

"It was definitely a curse that killed her - probably the Transmogrifian Torture - I've seen it used many times, so unlucky I wasn't there, I know the very countercurse that would have saved her…"

Lockhart's comments were punctuated by Filch's dry, racking sobs. He was slumped in a chair by the desk, unable to look at Mrs. Norris, his face in his hands. Much as the students detested Filch, they couldn't help feeling a bit sorry for him, though not nearly as sorry as they felt for themselves. If Dumbledore believed Filch, they would be expelled for sure.

Dumbledore was now muttering strange words under his breath and tapping Mrs. Norris with his wand but nothing happened: She continued to look as though she had been recently stuffed.

"… I remember something very similar happening in Ouagadogou," said Lockhart, "a series of attacks, the full story's in my autobiography, I was able to provide the townsfolk with various amulets, which cleared the matter up at once…"

The photographs of Lockhart on the walls were all nodding in agreement as he talked. One of them had forgotten to remove his hair net.

At last, Dumbledore straightened up. "She's not dead, Argus," he said softly.

Lockhart stopped abruptly in the middle of counting the number of murders he had prevented.

"Not dead?" choked Filch, looking through his fingers at Mrs. Norris. "But why's she all- all stiff and frozen?"

"She has been Petrified," Dumbledore said ("Ah! I thought so!" said Lockhart). "But how, I cannot say…"

"Ask him!" shrieked Filch, turning his blotched and tearstained face to Antonio. "He did it! He was right next to Mrs. Norris! Caught red handed!"

"No second year could have done this," said Dumbledore firmly. "it would take Dark Magic of the most advanced -"

"He did it, he did it!" Filch spat. "You saw what he wrote on the wall! His friend found - in my office - he knows I'm a - I'm a -" Filch's face worked horribly. "He knows I'm a Squib!" he finished.

"I didn't tell anyone about the letter!" Harry said loudly, uncomfortably aware of everyone looking at him, including all the Lockharts on the walls. "And I don't even know what a Squib is."

"Rubbish!" snarled Filch. "He saw my Kwikspell letter!"

"If I might speak, Headmaster," said Snape from the shadows, and Harry's sense of forbidding increased; he was sure nothing Snape had to say was going to do him any good.

"Potter and his friends may have simply been in the wrong place at the wrong time," he said, a slight sneer curling his mouth as though he doubted it. "But we do have a set of suspicious circumstances here. Why was he in the upstairs corridor at all? Why wasn't he at the Halloween feast?"

Antonio, Harry, Ron and Hermione all launched into an explanation about the deathday party. ". . . there were hundreds of ghosts, they'll tell you we were there -"

"But why not join the feast afterward?" said Snape, his black eyes glittering in the candlelight. "Why go up to that corridor?"

Ron, Hermione and Antonio looked at Harry.

"Because - because -" Harry said, his heart thumping very fast; something told him it would sound very far-fetched if he told them he had been led there by a bodiless voice no one but he could hear, "because we were tired and wanted to go to bed," he said.

"Without any supper?" said Snape, a triumphant smile flickering across his gaunt face. "I didn't think ghosts provided food fit for living people at their parties."

"We weren't hungry," Ron said loudly as his stomach gave a huge rumble.

Snape's nasty smile widened.

"I suggest, Headmaster, that Potter is not being entirely truthful," he said. "It might be a good idea if he were deprived of certain privileges until he is ready to tell us the whole story. I personally feel he should be taken off the Gryffindor Quidditch team until he is ready to be honest."

"Really, Severus," said Professor McGonagall sharply, "I see no reason to stop the boy playing Quidditch. This cat wasn't hit over the head with a broomstick. There is no evidence at all that Potter has done anything wrong."

Dumbledore was giving Harry a searching look. His twinkling light- blue gaze made Harry feel as though he were being X-rayed.

"Innocent until proven guilty, Severus," he said firmly.

Snape looked furious. So did Filch.

"My cat has been Petrified!" he shrieked, his eyes popping. "I want to see some punishment!"

"We will be able to cure her, Argus," Dumbledore said patiently. "Professor Sprout recently planted some Mandrakes. As soon as they have reached their full size, I will have a potion made that will revive Mrs. Norris."

"I'll make it," Lockhart butted in. "I must have done it a hundred times. I could whip up a Mandrake Restorative Draught in my sleep -"

"Excuse me," Snape said icily. "But I believe I am the Potions master at this school." There was a very awkward pause.

"You may go," Dumbledore said to Harry, Ron, Antonio and Hermione.

They went, as quickly as they could without actually running. When they were a floor up from Lockhart's office, they turned into an empty classroom and closed the door quietly behind them. Harry squinted at his friends' darkened faces.

"D'you think I should have told them about that voice I heard?"

"No," Ron said without hesitation. "Hearing voices no one else can hear isn't a good sign, even in the wizarding world."

Something in Ron's voice made Harry ask, "You do believe me, don't you?"

"'Course I do," Ron said quickly. "But you must admit it's weird…"

"I know it's weird," said Harry. "The whole thing's weird. What was that writing on the wall about? The Chamber of Secrets Has Been Opened... What's that supposed to mean?"

"You know, it rings a sort of bell," Ron said slowly. "I think someone told me a story about a secret chamber at Hogwarts once ... might've been Bill…"

"Guys, it would be better and safer if we just don't mess with this" Antonio piped in. After all, he came here to protect Harry, and he knew for a fact that the Chamber of Secret's wasn't what you would call safe.

Hermione, Harry and Ron looked at him weirdly.

"And what on earth's a Squib?" Harry said.

To his surprise, Ron stifled a snigger. Antonio looked confusedly towards Ron.

"Well - it's not funny really - but as it's Filch," he said. "A Squib is someone who was born into a wizarding family but hasn't got any magic powers. Kind of the opposite of Muggle-born wizards, but Squibs are quite unusual. If Filch's trying to learn magic from a Kwikspell course, I reckon he must be a Squib. It would explain a lot. Like why he hates students so much." Ron gave a satisfied smile. "He's bitter."

A clock chimed somewhere.

"Midnight," Antonio said.

"We'd better get to bed before Snape comes along and tries to frame us for something else." Harry said.

'~=~'

For a few days, the school could talk of little else but the attack on Mrs. Norris. Filch kept it fresh in everyone's minds by pacing the spot where she had been attacked, as though he thought the attacker might come back. Students would see him scrubbing the message on the wall with Mrs. Skower's All-Purpose Magical Mess Remover, but to no effect; the words still gleamed as brightly as ever on the stone. When Filch wasn't guarding the scene of the crime, he was skulking red- eyed through the corridors, lunging out at unsuspecting students and trying to put them in detention for things like "breathing loudly' and "looking happy."

Ginny Weasley seemed very disturbed by Mrs. Norris's fate. According to Ron, she was a great cat lover.

"But you haven't really got to know Mrs. Norris," Ron told her bracingly. "Honestly, we're much better off without her." Ginny's lip trembled. "Stuff like this doesn't often happen at Hogwarts," Ron assured her. "They'll catch the maniac who did it and have him out of here in no time. I just hope he's got time to Petrify Filch before he's expelled. I'm only joking -" Ron added hastily as Ginny blanched.

"Ron, por favor para, I think you are scaring her," Antonio said hugging Ginny with one arm. (*Please stop).

The attack had also had an effect on Hermione. It was quite usual for Hermione to spend a lot of time reading, but she was now doing almost nothing else. Nor could Harry and Ron get much response from her when they asked what she was up to, and not until the following Wednesday did they find out.

Harry had been held back in Potions, where Snape had made him stay behind to scrape tubeworms off the desks. After a hurried lunch, he went upstairs to meet Ron and Antonio in the library, and saw Justin Finch- Fletchley, the Hufflepuff boy from Herbology, coming toward him. Harry had just opened his mouth to say hello when Justin caught sight of him, turned abruptly, and sped off in the opposite direction.

Harry found Antonio and Ron at the back of the library, measuring Ron's History of Magic homework. Professor Binns had asked for a threefoot-long composition on "The Medieval Assembly of European Wizards." Antonio had finished the assignment the day it was assigned, so now he was bored looking at Ron do his homework instead of reading the books Professor McGonagall had given him about animagi.

"I don't believe it, I'm still eight inches short!" Ron said furiously, letting go of his parchment, which sprang back into a roll. "And Hermione's done four feet seven inches and her writing's tiny. "

"Where is she?" Harry asked, grabbing the tape measure and unrolling his own homework.

"Somewhere over there," Antonio said, pointing along the shelves.

"Looking for another book. I think she's trying to read the whole library before Christmas," Ron said in a bored tone.

Harry told Ron and Antonio about Justin Finch-Fletchley running away from him.

Antonio piped in that some of his used-to-be-friends also did that, but also didn't know why.

"Dunno why you care. I thought he was a bit of an idiot," Ron said, scribbling away, making his writing as large as possible. "All that junk about Lockhart being so great -"

Hermione emerged from between the bookshelves. She looked irritable and at last seemed ready to talk to them.

"All the copies of 'Hogwarts, A History' have been taken out," she said, sitting down next to Harry and Ron. "And there's a two-week waiting list. I wish I hadn't left my copy at home, but I couldn't fit it in my trunk with all the Lockhart books."

"Why do you want it?" Harry asked.

"The same reason everyone else wants it," Hermione said, "to read up on the legend of the Chamber of Secrets."

"What's that?" Harry asked quickly.

"That's just it. I can't remember," Hermione said, biting her lip. "And I can't find the story anywhere else -"

"Hermione, let me read your composition," Ron said desperately, checking his watch.

"No, I won't," Hermione said, suddenly severe. "You've had ten days to finish it -"

"I only need another two inches, come on Antonio only gave me a few dates and books to read-"

The bell rang. Ron and Hermione led the way to History of Magic, bickering. History of Magic was the dullest subject on their schedule. Professor Binns, who taught it, was their only ghost teacher, and the most exciting thing that ever happened in his classes was his entering the room through the blackboard. Ancient and shrivelled, many people said he hadn't noticed he was dead. He had simply got up to teach one day and left his body behind him in an armchair in front of the staff room fire; his routine had not varied in the slightest since.

Today was as boring as ever. Professor Binns opened his notes and began to read in a flat drone like an old vacuum cleaner until nearly everyone in the class was in a deep stupor, occasionally coming to long enough to copy down a name or date, then falling asleep again. He had been speaking for half an hour when something happened that had never happened before. Hermione put up her hand.

Professor Binns, glancing up in the middle of a deadly dull lecture on the International Warlock Convention of 1289, looked amazed.

"Miss - er -?"

"Granger, Professor. I was wondering if you could tell us anything about the Chamber of Secrets," said Hermione in a clear voice.

Dean Thomas, who had been sitting with his mouth hanging open, gazing out of the window, jerked out of his trance; Lavender Brown's head came up off her arms and Neville Longbottom's elbow slipped off his desk. Professor Binns blinked.

"My subject is History of Magic," he said in his dry, wheezy voice. "I deal with facts, Miss Granger, not myths and legends." He cleared his throat with a small noise like nails scratching a blackboard and continued, "In September of that year, a subcommittee of Sardinian sorcerers"

He stuttered to a halt. Hermione's hand was waving in the air again.

"Miss Grant?"

"Please, sir, don't legends always have a basis in fact?"

Antonio was mouthing to Hermione to stop asking that question but gave up when he saw it was useless. Professor Binns was looking at her in such amazement, Harry was sure no student had ever interrupted him before, alive or dead (if Antonio didn't count).

"Well," Professor Binns said slowly, "yes, one could argue that, I suppose." He peered at Hermione as though he had never seen a student properly before. "However, the legend of which you speak is such a very sensational, even ludicrous tale -"

But the whole class was now hanging on Professor Binns's every word. He looked dimly at them all, every face turned to his. Harry could tell he was completely thrown by such an unusual show of interest.

"Oh, very well," he slowly said. "Let me see ... the Chamber of Secrets ... You all know, of course, that Hogwarts was founded over a thousand years ago - the precise date is uncertain - by the four greatest witches and wizards of the age. The four school Houses are named after them: Godric Gryffindor, Helga Hufflepuff, Rowena Ravenclaw, and Salazar Slytherin. They built this castle together, far from prying Muggle eyes, for it was an age when magic was feared by common people, and witches and wizards suffered much persecution."

He paused, gazed blearily around the room, and continued.

"For a few years, the founders worked in harmony together, seeking out youngsters who showed signs of magic and bringing them to the castle to be educated. But then disagreements sprang up between them. A rift began to grow between Slytherin and the others. Slytherin wished to be more selective about the students admitted to Hogwarts. He believed that magical learning should be kept within all-magic families. He disliked taking students of Muggle parentage, believing them to be untrustworthy. After a while, there was a serious argument on the subject between Slytherin and Gryffindor, and Slytherin left the school."

Professor Binns paused again, pursing his lips, looking like a wrinkled old tortoise.

"Reliable historical sources tell us this much," he said. "But these honest facts have been obscured by the fanciful legend of the Chamber of Secrets. The story goes that Slytherin had built a hidden chamber in the castle, of which the other founders knew nothing.

"Slytherin, according to the legend, sealed the Chamber of Secrets so that none would be able to open it until his own true heir arrived at the school. The heir alone would be able to unseal the Chamber of Secrets, unleash the horror within, and use it to purge the school of all who were unworthy to study magic."

There was silence as he finished telling the story, but it wasn't the usual, sleepy silence that filled Professor Binns's classes. There was unease in the air as everyone continued to watch him, hoping for more. Professor Binns looked faintly annoyed.

"The whole thing is arrant nonsense, of course," he said. "Naturally, the school has been searched for evidence of such a chamber, many times, by the most learned witches and wizards. It does not exist. A tale told to frighten the gullible."

Hermione's hand was back in the air.

"Sir - what exactly do you mean by the 'horror within' the Chamber?"

"That is believed to be some sort of monster, which the Heir of Slytherin alone can control," said Professor Binns in his dry, reedy voice.

The class exchanged nervous looks.

"I tell you, the thing does not exist," said Professor Binns, shuffling his notes. "There is no Chamber and no monster."

"But, sir," Seamus Finnigan said, "if the Chamber can only be opened by Slytherin's true heir, no one else would be able to find it, would they?"

"Nonsense, O'Flaherty," Professor Binns said in an aggravated tone. "If a long succession of Hogwarts headmasters and headmistresses haven't found the thing -"

"But, Professor," piped up Parvati Patil, "you'd probably have to use Dark Magic to open it -"

"Just because a wizard doesn't use Dark Magic doesn't mean he can't, Miss Pennyfeather," snapped Professor Binns. "I repeat, if the likes of Dumbledore -"

"But maybe you've got to be related to Slytherin, so Dumbledore couldn't -" began Dean Thomas, but Professor Binns had had enough.

"That will do," he said sharply. "It is a myth! It does not exist! There is not a shred of evidence that Slytherin ever built so much as a secret broom cupboard! I regret telling you such a foolish story! We will return, if you please, to history, to solid, believable, verifiable fact!"

Antonio snorted at the last comment, since Professor Binns had had in fact a few historical errors which probably weren't his fault. Within five minutes, the class had sunk back into its usual torpor.

"I always knew Salazar Slytherin was a twisted old loony," Ron told Harry and Hermione as they fought their way through the teeming corridors at the end of the lesson to drop off their bags before dinner. "But I never knew he started all this pure-blood stuff. I wouldn't be in his house if you paid me. Honestly, if the Sorting Hat had tried to put me in Slytherin, I would have got the train straight back home ...

Hermione nodded fervently, but Harry didn't say anything. His stomach had just dropped unpleasantly. Harry had never told Ron and Hermione that the Sorting Hat had seriously considered putting him in Slytherin. He could remember, as though it were yesterday, the small voice that had spoken in his ear when he'd placed the hat on his head a year before: You could be great, you know, it's all here in your head, and Slytherin would help you on the way to greatness, no doubt about that... But Harry, who had already heard of Slytherin House's reputation for turning out Dark wizards, had thought desperately, Not Slytherin! and the hat had said, Oh, well, if you're sure ... better be Gryffindor...

"Did you already forget that the hat had considered putting me in Slytherin, Ron?" Antonio asked in an overly sweet voice.

"N-no… but you are different! You're nice and don't care if someone is muggle-born!" Ron defended. Hermione continued nodding.

"Sí, but it still considered putting me in Slytherin. Should I be in a train that will take me straight back home, like you said?" Antonio asked with a little bit of sadness in his eyes.

"N-no! It was just a stupid joke…" Ron said looking at the ground. Hermione continued to nod.

"Sí, muy estúpido," Antonio said firmly. (*Yes, very stupid).

As they were shunted along in the throng of people, Colin Creevy went past.

"Hiya, Harry!"

"Hullo, Colin," Harry said automatically.

"Harry - Harry - a boy in my class has been saying you're-"

But Colin was so small he couldn't fight against the tide of people bearing him toward the Great Hall; they heard him squeak, "See you, Harry!" and he was gone.

"What's a boy in his class saying about you?" Hermione wondered.

"That I'm Slytherin's heir, I expect," Harry said, his stomach dropping another inch or so as he suddenly remembered the way Justin Finch- Fletchley had run away from him at lunchtime. "Some probably will think it's Antonio."

Antonio looked a little confused.

"People here'll believe anything," Ron said in disgust.

The crowd thinned and they were able to climb the next staircase without difficulty.

"D'you really think there's a Chamber of Secrets?" Ron asked Hermione.

"I don't know," she said, frowning. "Dumbledore couldn't cure Mrs. Norris, and that makes me think that whatever attacked her might not be - well - human."

As she spoke, they turned a corner and found themselves at the end of the very corridor where the attack had happened. They stopped and looked. The scene was just as it had been that night, except that there was no stiff cat hanging from the torch bracket, and an empty chair stood against the wall bearing the message "The Chamber of Secrets has been Opened."

"That's where Filch has been keeping guard," Ron muttered.

They looked at each other. The corridor was deserted.

"Can't hurt to have a poke around," said Harry, dropping his bag and getting to his hands and knees so that he could crawl along, searching for clues.

"Guys, this is stupid… please stop this Sherlock Holmes… thing" Antonio whispered.

"Scorch marks!" Harry said. "Here - and here -"

"Come and look at this!" Hermione said. "This is funny…"

Harry got up and crossed to the window next to the message on the wall. Hermione was pointing at the topmost pane, where around twenty spiders were scuttling, apparently fighting to get through a small crack. A long, silvery thread was dangling like a rope, as though they had all climbed it in their hurry to get outside.

"Have you ever seen spiders act like that?" Hermione said wonderingly.

"No," Harry said, "have you, Ron? Ron?"

He looked over his shoulder. Ron was standing well back and seemed to be fighting the impulse to run.

"What's up?" said Harry.

"¿Estas bien?" Antonio asked Ron.

"I - don't - like - spiders," said Ron tensely.

"I never knew that," said Hermione, looking at Ron in surprise. "You've used spiders in Potions loads of times…"

"I don't mind them dead," Ron said, who was carefully looking anywhere but at the window. "I just don't like the way they move…"

Hermione giggled.

"It's not funny," Ron said, fiercely. "If you must know, when I was three, Fred turned my - my teddy bear into a great big filthy spider because I broke his toy broomstick ... You wouldn't like them either if you'd been holding your bear and suddenly it had too many legs and…"

He broke off, shuddering.

"Too many eyes... pincers…" Antonio started listing, not helping the panicking Ron.

Hermione was obviously still trying not to laugh. Feeling they had better get off the subject, Harry said, "Remember all that water on the floor? Where did that come from? Someone's mopped it up."

"It was about here," Ron said, recovering himself to walk a few paces past Filch's chair and pointing. "Level with this door."

He reached for the brass doorknob but suddenly withdrew his hand as though he'd been burned.

"What's the matter?" Harry asked.

"Can't go in there," Ron said gruffly. "That's a girls' toilet."

"Oh, Ron, there won't be anyone in there," Hermione said, standing up and coming over. "That's Moaning Myrtle's place. Come on, let's have a look."

And ignoring the large OUT of ORDER sign, she opened the door.

It was the gloomiest, most depressing bathroom they had ever set foot in. Under a large, cracked, and spotted mirror were a row of chipped sinks. The floor was damp and reflected the dull light given off by the stubs of a few candles, burning low in their holders; the wooden doors to the stalls were flaking and scratched and one of them was dangling off its hinges.

Hermione put her fingers to her lips and set off toward the end stall. When she reached it she said, "Hello, Myrtle, how are you?"

Antonio, Harry and Ron went to look. Moaning Myrtle was floating above the tank of the toilet, picking a spot on her chin.

"This is a girls' bathroom," she said, eyeing Ron, Antonio and Harry suspiciously. "They're not girls."

"No," Hermione agreed. "I just wanted to show them how er - nice it is in here."

She waved vaguely at the dirty old mirror and the damp floor.

"Ask her if she saw anything," Harry mouthed at Hermione.

"What are you whispering?" Myrtle asked, staring at him.

"Nothing," Harry answered quickly. "We wanted to ask -"

"I wish people would stop talking behind my back!" said Myrtle, in a voice choked with tears. "I do have feelings, you know, even if I am dead -"

"Myrtle, no one wants to upset you," Hermione said. "Harry only -"

"No one wants to upset me! That's a good one!" howled Myrtle. "My life was nothing but misery at this place and now people come along ruining my death!"

"We wanted to ask you if you've seen anything funny lately," Antonio said quickly. "Because a cat was attacked right outside your front door on Halloween."

"Did you see anyone near here that night?" Harry asked.

"I wasn't paying attention," Myrtle said dramatically. "Peeves upset me so much I came in here and tried to kill myself. Then, of course, I remembered that I'm - that I'm"

"Already dead," Ron said helpfully.

Myrtle gave a tragic sob, rose up in the air, turned over, and dived headfirst into the toilet, splashing water all over them and vanishing from sight, although from the direction of her muffled sobs, she had come to rest somewhere in the U-bend.

Harry and Ron stood with their mouths open, while Antonio looked confused, but Hermione shrugged wearily and said, "Honestly, that was almost cheerful for Myrtle… Come on, let's go."

Harry had barely closed the door on Myrtle's gurgling sobs when a loud voice made all four of them jump.

"RON!"

Percy Weasley had stopped dead at the head of the stairs, prefect badge agleam, an expression of complete shock on his face.

"That's a girls' bathroom!" he gasped. "What were you -?"

"Just having a look around," Ron shrugged. "Clues, you know -"

Percy swelled in a manner that reminded Harry forcefully of Mrs. Weasley.

"Get - away - from - there -" Perry said, striding toward them and starting to bustle them along, flapping his arms. "Don't you care what this looks like? Coming back here while everyone's at dinner -"

"Why shouldn't we be here?" Ron said hotly, stopping short and glaring at Percy. "Listen, we never laid a finger on that cat!"

"That's what I told Ginny," Percy said fiercely, "but she still seems to think you're going to be expelled, I've never seen her so upset, crying her eyes out, you might think of her, all the first years are thoroughly overexcited by this business -"

"You don't care about Ginny," Ron said, whose ears were now reddening. "You're just worried I'm going to mess up your chances of being Head Boy-"

"Five points from Gryffindor!" Percy said tersely, fingering his prefect badge. "And I hope it teaches you a lesson! No more detective work, or I'll write to Mum!"

And he strode off, the back of his neck as red as Ron's ears.

Harry, Antonio, Ron, and Hermione chose seats as far as possible from Percy in the common room that night. Ron was still in a very bad temper and kept blotting his Charms homework. When he reached absently for his wand to remove the smudges, it ignited the parchment.

"I already ordered your wand, if that helps…" Antonio told Ron.

Fuming almost as much as his homework, Ron slammed The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 2 shut. To Harry's surprise, Hermione followed suit.

"Who can it be, though?" she said in a quiet voice, as though continuing a conversation they had just been having. "Who'd want to frighten all the Squibs and Muggle-borns out of Hogwarts?"

"Let's think," Ron said in mock puzzlement. "Who do we know who thinks Muggle-borns are scum?"

He looked at Hermione. Hermione looked back, unconvinced.

"If you're talking about Malfoy -"

"Of course I am!" Ron said. "You heard him - `You'll be next, Mudbloods!'- come on, you've only got to look at his foul rat face to know it's him -"

"Malfoy, the Heir of Slytherin?" Hermione said skeptically.

"Look at his family," Harry said, closing his books, too. "The whole lot of them have been in Slytherin; he's always boasting about it. They could easily be Slytherin's descendants. His father's definitely evil enough."

"They could've had the key to the Chamber of Secrets for centuries!" Ron said. "Handing it down, father to son…"

"Well," Hermione said cautiously, "I suppose it's possible ...

"But how do we prove it?" said Harry darkly.

Antonio sighed, "guys, please stop this mess. Don't you see you'll get into more trouble? Not to mention rise up suspicion if you're not careful…"

"Fine, if you don't want to take part in this, then go," Ron said, crossing his arms.

Antonio sighed once again. It would be easier to protect them if he was _with_ them. "fine, you win."

"Ok… There might be a way to prove it," Hermione said slowly, dropping her voice still further with a quick glance across the room at Percy. "Of course, it would be difficult. And dangerous, very dangerous. We'd be breaking about fifty school rules, I expect -"

"If, in a month or so, you feel like explaining, you will let us know, won't you?" Ron said irritably.

"All right," Hermione said coldly. "What we'd need to do is to get inside the Slytherin common room and ask Malfoy a few questions without him realizing it's us."

"But that's impossible," Harry said as Ron laughed.

"No, it's not," said Hermione. "All we'd need would be some Polyjuice Potion."

"What's that?" Ron and Harry said together.

"Snape mentioned it in class a few weeks ago -"

"D'you think we've got nothing better to do in Potions than listen to Snape?" Ron muttered.

"It transforms you into somebody else." Antonio said helpfully.

"Think about it! We could change into four of the Slytherins. No one would know it was us. Malfoy would probably tell us anything. He's probably boasting about it in the Slytherin common room right now, if only we could hear him." Hermione said.

"This Polyjuice stuff sounds a bit dodgy to me," Ron said, frowning. "What if we were stuck looking like four of the Slytherins forever?"

"It wears off after a while," Antonio said.

"But getting hold of the recipe will be very difficult. Snape said it was in a book called 'Moste Potente Potions' and it's bound to be in the Restricted Section of the library."

There was only one way to get out a book from the Restricted Section: You needed a signed note of permission from a teacher. "Hard to see why we'd want the book, really," Ron said, "if we weren't going to try and make one of the potions."

"I think," Hermione said, "that if we made it sound as though we were just interested in the theory, we might stand a chance…

"Oh, come on, no teacher's going to fall for that," Ron said. "They'd have to be really thick…"

 **A/N: I hope you liked this chapter. Please review, favourite and follow!**


	13. The Rogue Bludger

**A/N: this time I posted the new chapter on time, yay! I hope you like it and it doesn** **'** **t show how rushed I was.**

 **By the way, I** **'** **m now an army, by that I mean that I** **'** **m a fan of the K-pop group BTS. I highly recommend this band, they write most of their songs and they** **'** **ve got beautiful voices for singing** ** _and_** **rapping.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Hetalia nor** **Harry Potter. Most of the writing belongs to J. K. Rowling, I just adjusted it to fit my story.**

Since the disastrous episode of the pixies, Professor Lockhart had not brought live creatures to class. Instead, he read passages from his books to them, and sometimes re-enacted some of the more dramatic bits. He usually picked Harry to help him with these reconstructions. Harry was hauled to the front of the class during their very next Defence Against the Dark Arts lesson, this time acting as a werewolf. If he hadn't had a very good reason for keeping Lockhart in a good mood, he would have refused to do it.

"Nice loud howl, Harry -exactly- and then, if you'll believe it, I pounced -like this- slammed him to the floor -thus- with one hand, I managed to hold him down -with my other, I put my wand to his throat- I then screwed up my remaining strength and performed the immensely complex Homorphus Charm -he let out a piteous moan- go on, Harry -higher than that- good -the fur vanished- the fangs shrank -and he turned back into a man. Simple, yet effective- and another village will remember me forever as the hero who delivered them from the monthly terror of werewolf attacks."

The bell rang and Lockhart got to his feet. "Homework- compose a poem about my defeat of the Wagga Wagga Werewolf! Signed copies of Magical Me to the author of the best one!"

The class began to leave. Harry returned to the back of the room, where Antonio, Ron and Hermione were waiting.

"Ready?" Harry muttered.

"Wait till everyone's gone," Antonio whispered, packing up at a turtle's pace (not snail's pace, turtle's ?).

"All right…" Hermione said nervously after everyone except them and Lockhart had gone.

She approached Lockhart's desk, a piece of paper clutched tightly in her hand, Harry, Antonio and Ron right behind her, silently encouraging her.

"Er- Professor Lockhart?" Hermione stammered. "I wanted to- to get this book out of the library. Just for background reading."

She held out the piece of paper, her hand shaking slightly. "But the thing is, it's in the Restricted Section of the library, so I need a teacher to sign for it- I'm sure it would help me understand what you say in Gadding with Ghouls about slow-acting venoms-"

"Ah, Gadding with Ghouls!" Lockhart interrupted, taking the note from Hermione and smiling widely at her. "Possibly my very favourite book. You enjoyed it?"

"Oh, yes," Hermione said eagerly. "So clever, the way you trapped that last one with the tea-strainer-"

"Well, I'm sure no one will mind me giving the best student of the year a little extra help," said Lockhart warmly, and he pulled out an enormous peacock quill. "Yes, nice, isn't it?" he said, misreading the revolted look on Ron's face. "I usually save it for book signings."

He scrawled an enormous loopy signature on the note and handed it back to Hermione.

"So, Harry," Lockhart said, while Hermione folded the note with fumbling fingers and slipped it into her bag. "Tomorrow's the first Quidditch match of the season, I believe? Gryffindor against Slytherin, is it not? I hear you're a useful player. I was a Seeker, too. I was asked to try for the National Squad, but preferred to dedicate my life to the eradication of the Dark Forces. Still, if ever you feel the need for a little private training, don't hesitate to ask. Always happy to pass on my expertise to less able players…" Harry made an indistinct noise in his throat and then hurried off after Ron and Hermione.

"I don't believe it," Harry said as the three of them examined the signature on the note. "He didn't even look at the book we wanted."

"That's because he's a brainless git," Ron said. "But who cares, we've got what we needed-"

"He is not a brainless git," Hermione said shrilly as they half ran toward the library.

"Just because he said you were the best student of the year-" They dropped their voices as they entered the muffled stillness of the library.

"Well, he might be a little stupid, but I'm sure he at least has a brain…" Antonio said. Ron looked at him with a disgusted face. Antonio's face began forming a smile "…somewhere."

Ron and Harry laughed with Antonio while Hermione hit Antonio on the arm and telling them to lower the volume.

Madam Pince, the librarian, was a thin, irritable woman who looked like an under-fed vulture.

"Moste Potente Potions?" she read suspiciously, trying to take the note from Hermione; but Hermione wouldn't let go.

"I was wondering if I could keep it," she said breathlessly.

"Oh, come on," said Ron, wrenching it from her grasp and thrusting it at Madam Pince. "We'll get you another autograph. Lockhart'll sign anything if it stands still long enough."

Madam Pince held the note up to the light, as though determined to detect a forgery, but it passed the test. She stalked away between the lofty shelves and returned several minutes later carrying a large and moldy-looking book. Hermione put it carefully into her bag and they left, trying not to walk too quickly or look too guilty.

Five minutes later, they were barricaded in Moaning Myrtle's out-of-order bathroom once again. Hermione had overridden Ron's objections by pointing out that it was the last place anyone in their right minds would go, so they were guaranteed some privacy.

Moaning Myrtle was crying noisily in her stall, but they were ignoring her, and she them, although Antonio would occasionally look up in her direction. Hermione opened Moste Potente Potions carefully, and the three of them bent over the damp-spotted pages. It was clear from a glance why it belonged in the Restricted Section. Some of the potions had effects almost too gruesome to think about, and there were some very unpleasant illustrations, which included a man who seemed to have been turned inside out and a witch sprouting several extra pairs of arms out of her head.

"Here it is," Hermione said excitedly as she found the page headed 'The Polyjuice Potion'.

It was decorated with drawings of people halfway through transforming into other people. They sincerely hoped the artist had imagined the looks of intense pain on their faces.

"This is the most complicated potion I've ever seen," Hermione said as they scanned the recipe. "Lacewing flies, leeches, fluxweed, and knotgrass," she murmured, running her finger down the list of ingredients. "Well, they're easy enough, they're in the student store-cupboard, we can help ourselves… Oooh, look, powdered horn of a bicorn — don't know where we're going to get that — shredded skin of a boomslang — that'll be tricky, too — and of course a bit of whoever we want to change into."

"Excuse me?" Ron said sharply. "What do you mean, a bit of whoever we're changing into? I'm drinking nothing with Crabbe's toenails in it-" Hermione continued as though she hadn't heard him. "We don't have to worry about that yet, though, because we add those bits last…"

"We could always use hair," Antonio said, trying to encourage Ron… it didn't help Ron too much.

Harry had another worry. "D'you realize how much we're going to have to steal, Hermione? Shredded skin of a boomslang, that's definitely not in the students' cupboard. What're we going to do, break into Snape's private stores? I don't know if this is a good idea…"

Hermione shut the book with a snap. "Well, if you thee are going to chicken out, fine," she said. There were bright pink patches on her cheeks and her eyes were brighter than usual. "I don't want to break rules, you know. I think threatening Muggle-borns is far worse than brewing up a difficult potion. But if you don't want to find out if it's Malfoy, I'll go straight to Madam Pince now and hand the book back in-"

"I never thought I'd see the day when you'd be persuading us to break rules," Ron said. "All right, we'll do it. But not toenails, okay?"

"How long will it take to make, anyway?" Harry said as Hermione, looking happier, opened the book again.

"Well, since the fluxweed has got to be picked at the full moon and the lacewings have got to be stewed for twenty-one days…" Hermione said with a slight frown

"It'd be ready in about a month, if we can get all the ingredients." Antonio said helpfully.

"A month?" Ron said. "Malfoy could have attacked half the Muggle-borns in the school by then!"

But Hermione's eyes narrowed dangerously again, and he added swiftly, "But it's the best plan we've got, so full steam ahead, I say."

However, while Hermione was checking that the coast was clear for them to leave the bathroom, Ron muttered to Harry and Antonio, "It'll be a lot less hassle if you can just knock Malfoy off his broom tomorrow."

'~=~'

Harry woke early on Saturday morning and lay for a while, thinking about the coming Quidditch match. He was nervous, mainly at the thought of what Wood would say if Gryffindor lost, but also at the idea of facing a team mounted on the fastest racing brooms gold could buy. He had never wanted to beat Slytherin so badly. After half an hour of lying there with his insides churning, he got up, dressed, and went down to breakfast early, where he found the rest of the Gryffindor team huddled at the long, empty table, all looking uptight and not speaking much.

As eleven o'clock approached, the whole school started to make its way down to the Quidditch stadium. It was a muggy sort of day with a hint of thunder in the air. Antonio, Ron and Hermione came hurrying over to wish Harry good luck as he entered the locker rooms.

"Can't you be in the team instead, Tony," Harry pleaded to Antonio. "You'd be the best from the team. It would be so much easier to win."

"I already told you that I don't have any intentions in joining the Gryffindor quidditch team," Antonio said while patting Harry on the back. "Now go and catch that snitch."

The team pulled on their scarlet Gryffindor robes, then sat down to listen to Wood's usual pre-match pep talk. "Slytherin has better brooms than us," he began. "No point denying it. But we've got better people on our brooms. We've trained harder than they have, we've been flying in all weathers-"

"Too true," muttered George. "I haven't been properly dry since August"

"-and we're going to make them rue the day they let that little bit of slime, Malfoy, buy his way onto their team." Chest heaving with emotion, Wood turned to Harry. "It'll be down to you, Harry, to show them that a Seeker has to have something more than a rich father. Get to that Snitch before Malfoy or die trying, Harry, because we've got to win today, we've got to."

"So, no pressure, Harry," Fred said, winking at him.

As they walked out onto the field, a roar of noise greeted them; mainly cheers, because Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff were anxious to see Slytherin beaten, but the Slytherins in the crowd made their boos and hisses heard, too. Madam Hooch asked Flint and Wood to shake hands, which they did, giving each other threatening stares and gripping rather harder than was necessary.

"On my whistle," Madam Hooch said. "Three…two…one…"

With a roar from the crowd to speed them upward, the fourteen players rose toward the leaden sky. Harry flew higher than any of them, squinting around for the Snitch.

"All right there, Scarhead?" yelled Malfoy, shooting underneath him as though to show off the speed of his broom.

Harry had no time to reply. At that very moment, a heavy black Bludger came pelting toward him; he avoided it so narrowly that he felt it ruffle his hair as it passed.

"Close one, Harry!" said George, streaking past him with his club in his hand, ready to knock the Bludger back toward a Slytherin.

Harry saw George give the Bludger a powerful whack in the direction of Adrian Pucey, but the Bludger changed direction in midair and shot straight for Harry again. Harry dropped quickly to avoid it, and George managed to hit it hard toward Malfoy. Once again, the Bludger swerved like a boomerang and shot at Harry's head. Harry put on a burst of speed and zoomed toward the other end of the field. He could hear the Bludger whistling along behind him. What was going on? Bludgers never concentrated on one player like this; it was their job to try and unseat as many people as possible… Fred Weasley was waiting for the Bludger at the other end. Harry ducked as Fred swung at the Bludger with all his might; the Bludger was knocked off course.

"Gotcha!" Fred yelled happily, but he was wrong; as though it was magnetically attracted to Harry, the Bludger pelted after him once more and Harry was forced to fly off at full speed.

It had started to rain; Harry felt heavy drops fall onto his face, splattering onto his glasses. He didn't have a clue what was going on in the rest of the game until he heard Lee Jordan, who was commentating, say,

"Slytherin lead, sixty points to zero-" The Slytherins' superior brooms were clearly doing their jobs, and meanwhile the mad Bludger was doing all it could to knock Harry out of the air.

Fred and George were now flying so close to him on either side that Harry could see nothing at all except their flailing arms and had no chance to look for the Snitch, let alone catch it.

"Someone's- tampered- with- this- Bludger-" Fred grunted, swinging his bat with all his might at it as it launched a new attack on Harry.

"We need time out," said George, trying to signal to Wood and stop the Bludger breaking Harry's nose at the same time.

Wood had obviously got the message. Madam Hooch's whistle rang out and Harry, Fred, and George dived for the ground, still trying to avoid the mad Bludger.

"What's going on?" Wood asked as the Gryffindor team huddled together, while Slytherins in the crowd jeered. "We're being flattened. Fred, George, where were you when that Bludger stopped Angelina scoring?"

"We were twenty feet above her, stopping the other Bludger from murdering Harry, Oliver," George said angrily. "Someone's fixed it- it won't leave Harry alone. It hasn't gone for anyone else all game. The Slytherins must have done something to it."

"But the Bludgers have been locked in Madam Hooch's office since our last practice, and there was nothing wrong with them then…" Wood said anxiously.

Madam Hooch was walking toward them. Over her shoulder, Harry could see the Slytherin team jeering and pointing in his direction.

"Listen," Harry said as she came nearer and nearer, "with you two flying around me all the time the only way I'm going to catch the Snitch is if it flies up my sleeve. Go back to the rest of the team and let me deal with the rogue one."

"Don't be thick," said Fred. "It'll take your head off."

Wood was looking from Harry to the Weasleys.

"Oliver, this is insane," said Alicia angrily. "You can't let Harry deal with that thing on his own. Let's ask for an inquiry-"

"If we stop now, we'll have to forfeit the match!" said Harry. "And we're not losing to Slytherin just because of a crazy Bludger! Come on, Oliver, tell them to leave me alone!"

"This is all your fault," George said angrily to Wood. "'Get the Snitch or die trying,' what a stupid thing to tell him-"

Madam Hooch had joined them.

"Ready to resume play?" she asked Wood.

Wood looked at the determined look on Harry's face. "All right," he said. "Fred, George, you heard Harry- leave him alone and let him deal with the Bludger on his own."

The rain was falling more heavily now. On Madam Hooch's whistle, Harry kicked hard into the air and heard the tell-tale whoosh of the Bludger behind him. Higher and higher Harry climbed; he looped and swooped, spiraled, zigzagged, and rolled. Slightly dizzy, he nevertheless kept his eyes wide open, rain was speckling his glasses and ran up his nostrils as he hung upside down, avoiding another fierce dive from the Bludger. He could hear laughter from the crowd; he knew he must look very stupid, but the rogue Bludger was heavy and couldn't change direction as quickly as Harry could; he began a kind of roller-coaster ride around the edges of the stadium, squinting through the silver sheets of rain to the Gryffindor goal posts, where Adrian Pucey was trying to get past Wood- A whistling in Harry's ear told him the Bludger had just missed him again; he turned right over and sped in the opposite direction.

"Training for the ballet, Potter?" yelled Malfoy as Harry was forced to do a stupid kind of twirl in mid-air to dodge the Bludger, and he fled, the Bludger trailing a few feet behind him; and then, glaring back at Malfoy in hatred, he saw it — the Golden Snitch. It was hovering inches above Malfoy's left ear- and Malfoy, busy laughing at Harry, hadn't seen it.

For an agonizing moment, Harry hung in mid-air, not daring to speed toward Malfoy in case he looked up and saw the Snitch. WHAM. He had stayed still a second too long. The Bludger had hit him at last, smashed into his elbow, and Harry felt his arm break. Dimly, dazed by the searing pain in his arm, he slid sideways on his rain-drenched broom, one knee still crooked over it, his right arm dangling useless at his side. The Bludger came pelting back for a second attack, this time aiming at his face. Harry swerved out of the way, one idea firmly lodged in his numb brain: get to Malfoy. Through a haze of rain and pain he dived for the shimmering, sneering face below him and saw its eyes widen with fear: Malfoy thought Harry was attacking him.

"What the-" he gasped, careening out of Harry's way.

Harry took his remaining hand off his broom and made a wild snatch; he felt his fingers close on the cold Snitch but was now only gripping the broom with his legs, and there was a yell from the crowd below as he headed straight for the ground, trying hard not to pass out. Right when he thought he was going to hit the ground, he fell into the arms of someone with a small thud. His arm was hanging at a very strange angle; riddled with pain, he heard, as though from a distance, a good deal of whistling and shouting. He focused on the Snitch clutched in his good hand.

"Aha," he said vaguely. "We've won." And he fainted.

He came around, rain falling on his face, now lying on the person's lap, with someone else leaning over him. He saw a glitter of teeth.

"Oh, no, not you," he moaned.

"Doesn't know what he's saying," said Lockhart loudly to the anxious crowd of Gryffindors pressing around them. "Not to worry, Harry. I'm about to fix your arm."

"No!" said Harry. "I'll keep it like this, thanks…" He tried to sit up, but the pain was terrible. He heard a familiar clicking noise nearby. "I don't want a photo of this, Colin," he said loudly.

"Lie back, Harry," said Lockhart soothingly. "It's a simple charm I've used countless times-"

"It would be better if I carried him to the hospital wing, Madam Pomfrey's the expert nurse," said the person that Harry was lying on. Harry could now recognise the person as Antonio.

"He should really, Professor," said a muddy Wood, who couldn't help grinning even though his Seeker was injured. "Great capture, Harry, really spectacular, your best yet, I'd say- and what was your name again, Tony they called you? Thank you for saving Harry from that fall"

Through the thicket of legs around him, Harry spotted Fred and George Weasley, wrestling the rogue Bludger into a box. It was still putting up a terrific fight.

"Stand back," said Lockhart, who was rolling up his jade-green sleeves.

"No- don't-" Harry said weakly, but Lockhart was twirling his wand and a second later had directed it straight at Harry's arm. He shut his eyes, his face turned away from his arm, but his worst fears were realized as the people above him gasped and Colin Creevey began clicking away madly. His arm didn't hurt anymore- nor did it feel remotely like an arm.

"Ah," said Lockhart. "Yes. Well, that can sometimes happen. But the point is, the bones are no longer broken. That's the thing to bear in mind. So, Harry, just toddle up to the hospital wing- ah, Mr. Fernandez, Mr. Weasley, Miss Granger, would you escort him? - and Madam Pomfrey will be able to -er- tidy you up a bit."

As Harry got to his feet, he felt strangely lopsided. Taking a deep breath, he looked down at his right side. What he saw nearly made him pass out again. Poking out of the end of his robes was what looked like a thick, flesh-coloured rubber glove. He tried to move his fingers. Nothing happened. Lockhart hadn't mended Harry's bones. He had removed them.

Madam Pomfrey wasn't at all pleased.

"You should have come straight to me!" she raged, holding up the sad, limp remainder of what, half an hour before, had been a working arm. "I can mend bones in a second- but growing them back-"

"You will be able to, won't you?" said Harry desperately.

"I'll be able to, certainly, but it will be painful," said Madam Pomfrey grimly, throwing Harry a pair of pyjamas. "You'll have to stay the night…"

Hermione waited outside the curtain drawn around Harry's bed while Ron and Antonio helped him into his pyjamas. It took a while to stuff the rubbery, boneless arm into a sleeve.

"How can you stick up for Lockhart now, Hermione?" Antonio called through the curtain as he pulled Harry's limp fingers through the cuff.

"If Harry had wanted deboning he would have asked." Ron said grudgingly.

"Anyone can make a mistake," said Hermione. "And it doesn't hurt anymore, does it, Harry?"

"No," Harry said, getting into bed. "But it doesn't do anything else either."

As he swung himself onto the bed, his arm flapped pointlessly. Hermione and Madam Pomfrey came around the curtain. Madam Pomfrey was holding a large bottle of something labelled Skele-Gro.

"You're in for a rough night," she said, pouring out a steaming beakerful and handing it to him. "Regrowing bones is a nasty business."

So was taking the Skele-Gro. It burned Harry's mouth and throat as it went down, making him cough and splutter. Still tut-tutting about dangerous sports and inept teachers, Madam Pomfrey retreated, leaving Ron, Hermione and Antonio to help Harry gulp down some water.

"We won, though," said Ron, a grin breaking across his face.

"That was some catch you made. Malfoy's face…he looked ready to kill…" Antonio praised.

"I want to know how he fixed that Bludger," Hermione said darkly.

"We can add that to the list of questions we'll ask him when we've taken the Polyjuice Potion," said Harry, sinking back onto his pillows. "I hope it tastes better than this stuff…"

"If it's got bits of Slytherins in it? You've got to be joking," said Ron.

"But I doubt it was Malfoy, a student his age wouldn't be able to curse a bludger," Antonio said.

"You mean _our_ age?" Hermione asked.

"Oh, -er- yeah… that's what I meant…" Antonio statered.

The door of the hospital wing burst open at that moment. Filthy and soaking wet, the rest of the Gryffindor team had arrived to see Harry.

"Unbelievable flying, Harry," said George. "I've just seen Marcus Flint yelling at Malfoy. Something about having the Snitch on top of his head and not noticing. Malfoy didn't seem very happy."

They had brought cakes, sweets, and bottles of pumpkin juice; they gathered around Harry's bed and were just getting started on what promised to be a good party when Madam Pomfrey came storming over, shouting, "This boy needs rest, he's got thirty-three bones to regrow! Out! OUT!" And Harry was left alone, with nothing to distract him from the stabbing pains in his limp arm.

Hours and hours later, Harry woke quite suddenly in the pitch blackness and gave a small yelp of pain: His arm now felt full of large splinters. For a second, he thought that was what had woken him. Then, with a thrill of horror, he realized that someone was sponging his forehead in the dark.

"Get off!" he said loudly, and then, "Dobby!"

The house-elf's goggling tennis ball eyes were peering at Harry through the darkness. A single tear was running down his long, pointed nose.

"Harry Potter came back to school," he whispered miserably. "Dobby warned and warned Harry Potter. Ah sir, why didn't you heed Dobby? Why didn't Harry Potter go back home when he missed the train?"

Harry heaved himself up on his pillows and pushed Dobby's sponge away.

"What're you doing here?" he said. "And how did you know I missed the train?"

Dobby's lip trembled and Harry was seized by a sudden suspicion.

"It was you!" he said slowly. "You stopped the barrier from letting us through!"

"Indeed yes, sir," Dobby said, nodding his head vigorously, ears flapping. "Dobby hid and watched for Harry Potter and sealed the gateway and Dobby had to iron his hands afterward" -he showed Harry ten long, bandaged fingers- "but Dobby didn't care, sir, for he thought Harry Potter was safe, and never did Dobby dream that Harry Potter would get to school another way!"

He was rocking backward and forward, shaking his ugly head.

"Dobby was so shocked when he heard Harry Potter was back at Hogwarts, he let his master's dinner burn! Such a flogging Dobby never had, sir…"

Harry slumped back onto his pillows.

"You nearly got Ron and I expelled," he said fiercely. "You'd better get lost before my bones grow back, Dobby, or I might strangle you."

Dobby smiled weakly. "Dobby is used to death threats, sir. Dobby gets them five times a day at home." He blew his nose on a corner of the filthy pillowcase he wore, looking so pathetic that Harry felt his anger ebb away in spite of himself.

"Why do you wear that thing, Dobby?" he asked curiously.

"This, sir?" Dobby asked, plucking at the pillowcase. "It is a mark of the house-elf's enslavement, sir. Dobby can only be freed if his masters present him with clothes, sir. The family is careful not to pass Dobby even a sock, sir, for then he would be free to leave their house forever."

Dobby mopped his bulging eyes and said suddenly, "Harry Potter must go home! Dobby thought his Bludger would be enough to make-"

"Your Bludger?" Harry said, anger rising once more. "What d'you mean, your Bludger? You made that Bludger try and kill me?"

"Not kill you, sir, never kill you!" Dobby said, shocked. "Dobby wants to save Harry Potter's life! Better sent home, grievously injured, than remain here, sir! Dobby only wanted Harry Potter hurt enough to be sent home!"

"Oh, is that all?" said Harry angrily. "I don't suppose you're going to tell me why you wanted me sent home in pieces?"

"Ah, if Harry Potter only knew!" Dobby groaned, more tears dripping onto his ragged pillowcase. "If he knew what he means to us, to the lowly, the enslaved, we dregs of the magical world! Dobby remembers how it was when He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named was at the height of his powers, sir! We house-elves were treated like vermin, sir! Of course, Dobby is still treated like that, sir," he admitted, drying his face on the pillowcase. "But mostly, sir, life has improved for my kind since you triumphed over He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. Harry Potter survived, and the Dark Lord's power was broken, and it was a new dawn, sir, and Harry Potter shone like a beacon of hope for those of us who thought the Dark days would never end, sir… And now, at Hogwarts, terrible things are to happen, are perhaps happening already, and Dobby cannot let Harry Potter stay here now that history is to repeat itself, now that the Chamber of Secrets is open once more-" Dobby froze, horror-struck, then grabbed Harry's water jug from his bedside table and cracked it over his own head, toppling out of sight.

A second later, he crawled back onto the bed, cross-eyed, muttering, "Bad Dobby, very bad Dobby…"

"So, there _is_ a Chamber of Secrets?" Harry whispered. "And -did you say it's been opened before? Tell me, Dobby!" He seized the elf's bony wrist as Dobby's hand inched toward the water jug. "But I'm not Muggle-born- how can I be in danger from the Chamber?"

"Ah, sir, ask no more, ask no more of poor Dobby," stammered the elf, his eyes huge in the dark. "Dark deeds are planned in this place, but Harry Potter must not be here when they happen- go home, Harry Potter, go home. Harry Potter must not meddle in this, sir, 'tis too dangerous-"

"Who is it, Dobby?" Harry said, keeping a firm hold on Dobby's wrist to stop him from hitting himself with the water jug again. "Who's opened it? Who opened it last time?"

"Dobby can't, sir, Dobby can't, Dobby mustn't tell!" squealed the elf. "Go home, Harry Potter, go home!"

"I'm not going anywhere!" Harry said fiercely. "One of my best friends is Muggle-born; she'll be first in line if the Chamber really has been opened-"

"Harry Potter risks his own life for his friends!" moaned Dobby in a kind of miserable ecstasy. "So noble! So valiant! But he must save himself, he must, Harry Potter must not-" Dobby suddenly froze, his bat ears quivering. Harry heard it, too. There were footsteps coming down the passageway outside. "Dobby must go!" breathed the elf, terrified. There was a loud crack, and Harry's fist was suddenly clenched on thin air. He slumped back into bed, his eyes on the dark doorway to the hospital wing as the footsteps drew nearer.

Next moment, Dumbledore was backing into the dormitory, wearing a long woolly dressing gown and a nightcap. He was carrying one end of what looked like a statue. Professor McGonagall appeared a second later, carrying its feet. Together, they heaved it onto a bed.

"Get Madam Pomfrey," whispered Dumbledore, and Professor McGonagall hurried past the end of Harry's bed out of sight.

Harry layed quite still, pretending to be asleep. He heard urgent voices, and then Professor McGonagall swept back into view, closely followed by Madam Pomfrey, who was pulling a cardigan on over her nightdress. He heard a sharp intake of breath.

"What happened?" Madam Pomfrey whispered to Dumbledore, bending over the statue on the bed.

"Another attack," Dumbledore explained. "Minerva found him on the stairs."

"There was a bunch of grapes next to him," said Professor McGonagall. "We think he was trying to sneak up here to visit Potter."

Harry's stomach gave a horrible lurch. Slowly and carefully, he raised himself a few inches so he could look at the statue on the bed. A ray of moonlight lay across its staring face. It was Colin Creevey. His eyes were wide and his hands were stuck up in front of him, holding his camera.

"Petrified?" whispered Madam Pomfrey.

"Yes," said Professor McGonagall. "But I shudder to think… If Albus hadn't been on the way downstairs for hot chocolate -who knows what might have-"

The three of them stared down at Colin. Then Dumbledore leaned forward and wrenched the camera out of Colin's rigid grip.

"You don't think he managed to get a picture of his attacker?" Professor McGonagall asked eagerly. Dumbledore didn't answer. He opened the back of the camera.

"Good gracious!" said Madam Pomfrey. A jet of steam had hissed out of the camera. Harry, three beds away, caught the acrid smell of burnt plastic.

"Melted," said Madam Pomfrey wonderingly. "All melted . . ."

"What does this mean, Albus?" Professor McGonagall asked urgently.

"It means," Dumbledore said slowly, "that the Chamber of Secrets is indeed open again."

Madam Pomfrey clapped a hand to her mouth. Professor McGonagall stared at Dumbledore. "But, Albus… surely… _who_?"

"The question is not _who_ ," said Dumbledore, his eyes on Colin. "The question is, _how_ …" And from what Harry could see of Professor McGonagall's shadowy face, she didn't understand this any better than he did.

 **A/N: I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter and wait for another on next month.**

 **Btw, I** **'** **m at my home town without internet, so I have less time to write, I will be starting school in 2 weeks, so I** **'** **ll be busy, but please stay with me!**


End file.
